


The Hyrule Fantasy

by Eddyoshi



Series: The Hero & The Zora [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda (Video Game 1986)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Blood and Injury, Child, Child Abandonment, Death, Despair, Dungeons, Extinction, Fairies, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Hero's Journey, Magic, Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Pre-Relationship, The Triforce, Violence, War, sidlink - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-10-22 09:36:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17660282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eddyoshi/pseuds/Eddyoshi
Summary: A retelling of the story from the original Legend of Zelda (NES 1986) with a young child Link going to defeat Ganon, but Prince Sidon (from Breath of the Wild) is there to help him out. How does he end up there, and will the young child end up saving all of Hyrule? Read it and find out!





	1. Age of Chaos

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy this fic of mine! Have had the idea since playing the original Zelda 1 & 2, along with an AU story where Sidon was the last of his kind and is considered a god, those two in combination made it so I could not get it out of my head and I had to write it!

**Hyrule, the land without hope.**

 

The once proud kingdom, suffering blights and catastrophes generations over, on the brink of collapse, would be saved and returned to its former glory by a hero clad in green, defeating whatever evil that ailed its people and bring about peace and prosperity for years to come. Even when the hero failed, the sages, the gods or the people of hyrule itself would help defeat the darkness. Their hope and will could never be stopped and no matter how many times evil tried to triumph, it would not last.

 

However the legend of hero was weakening over time. After the first failure of the hero, its strength was put into question, and while they did triumph, it was by just barely scraping by each time until Hyrule had reached its breaking point.

 

Now.

 

The mighty heinous beast Ganon, a massive fanged blue monster but with the intellect and ability of a master wizard, summoned an army of evil creatures and began his reign. Burning villages, destroying towns, killing families, one by one falling to his superior might. He was unstoppable, not by the many races that inhabited the land, not by their mightiest warriors, not by the King’s royal knights who had been trained by the hero themselves, and not even by the hero himself who had gone to face Ganon but had not yet returned.

 

Ganon knew he had won, setting his sights on the capitol. The shining beacon of peace and prosperity...Hyrule Castle. The battle was immense. The hylians desperately trying to not let Ganon and his minions enter the castle, using archers, catapults, anything they could throw, desperate to stop him, but it was not enough. They tore through the gates and spilled out into the once lavish courtyard, its pristine green field and stone being smeared in blood, mud and malice as the battle raged on, making their way to the main of the castle itself.

 

All options having been exhausted as Ganon’s forces stormed the castle, the Queen herself used all the strength and power she had in her possession to cast a spell of dark magic hidden within, to cast a protective sealing spell on the castle and its inhabitants. Its sheer power obliterated ganon’s forces and slammed against the evil king himself, pushing and pulling him until he was thrown outside of the castle and against the rough muddy terrain. So close he was to finally achieving his goal, to have all of Hyrule under his wake, free to do with it as he pleased, and yet was stopped at the last hurdle, the castle now glowing in a golden light no evil could touch or enter before vanishing out of sight.

 

The hill once housing Hyrule castle, the beacon of the land, was gone.

 

Ganon’s forces spread like wildfire across the land and in the many dungeons. Once having been used as places to train guards, house valuables, and act as safe havens for the many creatures of the world, were now desecrated and swarmed by the evil minions. Above land, nowhere was safe. Nasty creatures that were once slightly common if not rare were all that was left and multiplied madly, soon to where there were barely any empty spaces left in Hyrule...and those that were, were empty for a reason.

 

Octorocks, walking octopi spitting massive rocks at any who cross their path.

 

Tektites, spindly little spider legged creatures with one pulsing eye.

 

Leevers, blobs with sharp fangs that hide underground to snatch up any unsuspecting victim

 

Lynels, deadly centaur-like creatures with the face of a lion and skills with swords so powerful they can kill most of their foes in a single swing.

 

Zola, ancient evil fish beings who spit acidic water and can track foes from anywhere in the water.

 

And of course, Moblins, evil goblins under the control and command of Ganon with harsh bites and deadly pointed spears.

 

...all swarmed the land, leaving no space free of threats.

 

The once bright and cheerful blue sky was now dark and tainted orange, greys and reds. The wildlife withered away, the birds no longer singing, the crickets no longer chirping, and the trees and grass slowly dying and giving away to rough dusty earth and rock. The once vibrant utopia of green’s, blue’s and gold was choked, only orange, brown and the black of night remaining.

 

Any people lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to have survived the almighty Ganon attacks were left to hovle in caves, fearing for their lives and wishing for their homes back, their once quaint and charming homes made of wood and stone, now reduced to nothing but ash and rubble. Unable to leave their dark makeshift homes out of fear, a physically unable need, or simply to shut themselves away from the world, hoping if they remained quiet enough they would not be found.

 

Hope, the word that once was the lifeline of Hyrule, the feeling that filled its inhabitants and the royal family beacons of...was gone.

 

Hyrule was in ruin, and so began the Age of Chaos.

 

And so it would be for generations to come.


	2. Abandoned Forest (OPTIONAL)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting our "Hero"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listed as optional as I'm not too sure about this chapter as it gives Link a backstory, and one of the things I really like about the original Zelda 1 is the mystery, and not knowing anything or anyone...and this kind of goes against that. But as I was trying to think of SOMETHING to put for a backstory, as he can't litterally just show up out of nowhere (I mean he could but this was more challenging and unique for me) this is what came out of that.

Hidden within one of the few green forests left in hyrule lays the remains of what was assumed to be a small village, but all that now remained of it was an old wooden shack. Pieces of wood and stone were littered about it, posts of wood sticking out of the ground presumably holding a sign to the name of the town and then smaller ones by each house indicating the name of the owner, having either fallen over, were cut down or are beginning to rot away. An earthy brown path that lead to the other 4 houses were now being reclaimed by nature, the dark green-almost yellow grass growing over them, except for the path leading to the shack. That path was surprisingly still intact, as if someone had been keeping it that way themselves.

 

The shack itself had seen better days, but the fact that it was in as good of a shape as it was despite the disaster that had occured was a miracle within itself. Half of the shack was made of red painted wood, the paint having all but completely cracked off, however the door at the front was surprisingly intact. The rest of the house however was of much more shoddy craftsmanship, a big boulder that had fallen (and clearly what broke the house in two) in combination with pieces from a horse drawn cart made up the back wall, them being crudely held together by nails and rope, its fixture so sloppy it could have been made by a child. It seemed to be working well enough to house someone however.

 

There was a faint creaking sound as the front door slowly opened, followed by some faint footsteps against the wooden floor before the door was shut, the crunch of boots being placed firmly in the earthen ground immediately after. The shack’s inhabitant was a small hylian boy, not much older than about 12 years old, with brown (almost orange) hair that pointed to the side, a short round nose, two soft but stern black pupils and two pointed hylian ears. He wore nothing but a pair of hardy leather boots, small shorts, a brown long sleeved shirt, green tunic and a pointed green hat with a yellow stripe at the base, as he walked through the deep forest, the orange sky peeking through the leaves every so often. In the little hylian’s hand was a small wooden basket, just barely being held together, and in the other was an axe, and a big one. Definitely an axe meant for an adult or at the very least a teenager, but the child was carrying it rather well, besides stopping sometimes to put it down and rub his hand with a slight pout before continuing his journey.

 

He marched through the forest, scanning the trees with his eyes suspiciously every so often before glancing down at the road infront of him, the dirt kicking up against his boots each time he stepped, but he was all but used to it at this point. The boy continued to walk, eyeing up the trees before stopping in place, giving a small hop of excitement and running towards the tree. It was an apple tree, and with the momentum he gained from running he swung the axe hard at the admittedly small and thin trunk’s base, a loud sound of wood splintering and cracking, the leaves shaking in accompaniment, before a few apples fell from their branches, landing with a faint thud in the grass.

 

The boy picked up the apples one by one, inspecting them briefly before giving a nod and placing it in his basket, doing the same for the rest that fell. Once the basket was full (which was able to contain about 6) he began to make his way back home, beaming slightly with pride to himself. On the walk back as the day was going on, the temperature began to rise slightly as the sky got brighter, the boy beginning to breathe harder as sweat was forming on his brow. He stopped in place, putting both the basket and axe on the ground before quickly glancing at his surroundings, eyeing through the bushes and the trees at potential threats, but when he saw none he let out a faint sigh and lifted the green tunic over his head, taking off his hat along with it, before roughly placing the two under his arm, picking the basket and axe back up.

 

As the hylian was back home, instead of immediately eating the apples he took a short nap from the work he had done, inspected the back wall to make sure it had not fallen over...again, before looking up at the sky. The bright orange sky was slightly more red, indicating it was around about the afternoon so the child nodded and began to start a fire. He was practically a natural, making a fire in less than a few minutes, though it had helped that there had not been any rain for...a while. A long while. Not that he was upset, the very brief times it rained in hyrule now that meant a thunderstorm, and though the hylian thought himself brave and no longer a little child, thunderstorm sure made him feel like one, but he would never show that to anyone!

 

Having started the fire, he took the thin, slightly burnt, stick he kept propped up along a split that had surprisingly (and thankfully to him) not fallen over in the big battle and he used it to stick all of the apples he found onto it in a row, before placing it back down onto the split, sitting himself down on what used to be a thick pole to hold up a sign, which he had placed his tunic and hat on to act as a makeshift cushion. He waited for the apples to cook, staring down at the fire deep in thought, taking every so often to glance at his surroundings to be sure, before they were finally done. Dark but not burnt, good! As long was they weren’t burnt...the child had thought to himself after he had burnt apples for the first time that maybe he should just eat them as they were, not go through the hassle and potential risk to completely ruin them, but once he got them right there was no going back for him.

 

Few things made the boy smile anymore in this nasty, lonely world, but perfectly cooked apples were one of those things.

 

Having filled up on the delicious apples, he savored the remaining taste for a few minutes before his smile faded and it was back to business. He took the stick off of the split and went into his house, placing the axe and basket on the shoddy wooden desk (the top of a table stuck on a bedside cabinet), placed his tunic and hat on top of them, removed his leather boots with a faint groan and lay back against his bed of...straw. But hey a straw bed was better than no bed!

 

A successful day he had thought to himself, it wasn’t often he got to eat apples, and on days he did find them he savoured it for all it was worth, having a calm lazy day in to not burn those apples away and have to go find more food. He knew that tomorrow he would not be so lucky, it would be back to the usual routine of attempting to fish for hours getting nothing or his pole snapping in half, before foraging around for vegetables like mushrooms or carrots. He had thought about potentially wandering out further past the forest to find maybe some wild animal he could hunt, but he lay in fear thinking about what horrors could be out there, the few times he HAD ventured that far out...he saw an angry looking eight legged thing and sprinted right back home, where it was safe...or at least as safe as he knew it to be.

 

Still, tomorrow could be a great day, he could get lucky and find more apples! He scoffed at himself for even thinking that, he’s never been that lucky, and for all he knows with the world as it is, his brief good luck is bound to bring a whole lot of bad.

  
  


\---------------------------------------------------------

 

He was awoken the next day by a fierce shriek.

 

Bolting up from his straw bed, clumsily putting his clothes on only to rush out of the door, grabbing the wood cutting axe on the way out, the hylian rushed to the forest. As he entered he saw what looked like a small figure with another figure behind it. And they were getting bigger the closer they came. The boy trembled slightly in place, holding tight onto the axe he was now gripping in two hands at the figures came closer. He was able to make out the first as a small lady with a hood over her head with brown patterns all over it, running for her life from-

 

Big blue goblin looking creatures. The lady was screaming for help, tripping under the rough grass, kicking it everywhere but still not stopping her run. The hylian prepared himself behind a tree as she ran, waiting for her to pass. Once she did, clearly too caught up in potential death to have seen him, he jumped from behind the tree and gave the axe a large swing.

 

It immediately connected with the bokoblin, the momentum of its run making its body fall backwards while still carrying forwards, before slamming into the ground with a very loud thud.

 

The lady had stopped running as she heard the sound and caught her breath before turning to face the boy. He too was panting and sweating, the adrenaline wearing off as the axe felt a million times heavier in his hands than usual and he dropped it. The lady gasped and then ran up to him, uncovering her hood.

 

It was an older female hylian. White hair, wrinkly skin with bright blue eyes. She rushed up to him panting “Oh thank you boy, thank you!” she said with a relieved smile on her face as she grabbed his hand and began to roughly shake it “You just saved this poor old womans life” she said with a chuckle before noticing how clearly uncomfortable the boy was with this and she stopped, releasing his hand which he quickly took back to himself with a jerk.

 

“Whats a young Hylian boy like yourself doing out here all alone?” she asked him concerned but the boy did not change his facial expression, it being a mix of shock and suspicion. “I was delivering this letter but, as you could see, I caught some attention. Here-” she said reaching into her pack and shoved some papers into the boys hands “If anyone could do it its a brave young boy like you!” the old lady said with a big smile before turning around and beginning to run off.

 

The child had SO many questions.

Who are you? Where are you from? What was chasing you? Why was it chasing you? Why give me this paper?

 

Thinking of paper he glanced down at it and noticed some writing, turning it so it was the right way around for him to read...and yet he understood none of it, it may as well have been written in nothing but mud it was so unclear. He swapped over to one of the other pieces of paper, it having a series of symbols on it but none seeming familiar to him. The boy looked back as to where the lady had ran, but she was long gone by now, his questions to be forever unanswered.

 

He let out a sigh and shrugged, picking up his axe only to notice the body of the big blue thing was...gone. It was just gone. As if it had never existed, not even a trace of its weapons or indentations of a body in the grass. Strange. The boy just shook his head and went back to his house, dropping the axe and the papers roughly on the table before falling into the hay pile of his bed with a grunt. Great way to wake up after an apple day, he thought to himself, the bad luck had arrived.

 

The boy slumber of a few hours was interrupted by the grumbling of his stomach, he was hungry. He groaned, getting out of the hay bed, his hair now even more of a mess than it was before, but he didnt care. He put his hat on and was about to head out for some food but stopped himself and took the pieces of paper the lady gave him, placing them in his pack and going on his way.

 

As he was walking he tried to look over the papers again, see if maybe after the mayhem of earlier had clouded his vision, but no, still could no understand a word of it.

 

Worse yet was the prophesized bad luck had very much indeed come as there were no apples, no hidden vegetables, no nothing. Its as if the spirits themselves had picked the entire forest clean leaving just the wood itself. The boy grumbled at the final tree being empty, thinking to himself if he should just suck it up and try and eat it instead. At that thought he shook his head, realising how silly he was being and began his trek back home to hopefully try and catch some fish. Then-

 

_ BOOM _

 

A loud rumbling explosion occurred, shaking the ground as the boy tumbled in place, managing to steady himself on the tree before his vision coming in to focus; it came from his house.

 

The boy broke into a sprint, faster than he had ever ran before in his life. What could have possibly happened?

 

It wasn't until he reached the clearing that he saw it, his house and the entire village in flames. He cried out, running towards the house but the flames had already grown too large and it crumbled in on itself, the boy falling down on his back in the dirt. He looked up in horror as his home, HIS HOME that he built himself (or partially himself but still), was burnt to a crisp, tears forming in his eyes. He hit the ground and it splashed dirt everywhere, only for him to notice the fire had not stopped, it was spreading!

 

Panic immediately set in, the boy stood and began just running, running away from it. It was too big to put out, to scary to fight, all he had to do was run and not look back, though he could hear it getting bigger and louder behind him. Once he reached a clearing where the grass and wood ended making way to rock, he watched as the fire spread through the whole forest before it too burnt everything to bits. It felt like hours, but after a few minutes the fire put itself out, leaving a black charred remain of what used to be the boy’s safe haven.

 

Once he saw the destruction, the tears began to flow in earnest now. He wanted to go back, see if he could salvage his house, rebuild it, but he knew that it wouldn't. It was just ashes now. He shifted, pulling the papers out his pack once more, the wind blowing them faintly against his hands, thinking back to before. It had to have been those goblin things, everything is fine for years, then the second he sees one of those his house gets blown up...it had to have been.

 

He was sat on the ground, his knees pressed against his chest as he faintly sobbed, his pointed hat flopping over his hands as if it too was defeated, before the boy shifted in place and heard a rolling sound. He paused in panic and tried to see, tried to hear where it came from, but then as he did he noticed it was from it pack. Slowly, shakily reaching to his pack, undoing it and bringing it to his eyes he saw bright red shining out like a beacon from the dark brown: An Apple.

 

If the little hylian was not crying before he sure was now, the tears flowing down his face and soaking his tunic as he held his pack as tight as he could to his chest.


	3. Old Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Its dangerous to go alone...take this!"

The hero trudged through the dry beige land, brown rocks covered with moss of ages past passing him by. He walked like this for what felt like hours, the land getting drier and sky getting brighter, before he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of a small cave. Childhood curiosity got the better of him, still drawing his shield close to himself just in case, as he neared the entrance. There was no light, it was like looking into an abyss, pure black with not even an outline of the shape of the cave’s inside.

He let out a deep breath, thrust his shield up high and strode slowly but confidently into the cave, letting the black abyss swallowing him whole. All that was heard were his rough leather boots echoing around him as they made contact with the ground, trying to make out the sight of just about anything but it was to no avail, until suddenly there was a bright flash, covering his eyes with his shield and arm. As he lowered his shield, he was shocked to see that the once black abyss he was walking in before had vanished, and what now presented him was the faintly lit sight of a cave, and an old man with two torches either side of him lighting the room.

The hero rubbed his eyes to further confirm what he was seeing was real, and as he scanned the cave he couldn’t help but notice a bed of what appeared to be straw tucked in a corner, and a bit next to it a large pile of...something covered by a sheet. He eyed it with suspicion before focusing back on the man at hand, his back to him so all he could see was his faded and slightly tattered red robe and bald head. He did not turn as the boy entered his domain, not until he had come to a complete stop infront of him, slowly turning to reveal a glazed expression that quickly turned to shock.

“Who enters my do-” he froze, as if he had seen a ghost, almost trembling before attempting to compose himself. “So...what bring you here then hm?” the old man asked the boy, his arms behind his back as he stared the small hylian infront of him down. The boy in turn just stared up at the man, his shield having been lowered however his stoic expression had not changed. He waited, expecting the old man to continue but as he did not, the boy reached into his small bag to pull out the letters he had been given and slowly handed them to the old man.

The man took them with a bemused huff and cleared his throat, opening the first letter and began reading it to himself, muttering a few words out loud as he did so. “hrmm...Zelda...Triforce...Ganon!” the man grew more and more shocked as he read the letter, the same shocked expression from before spreading across his face before letting out a sigh “So it is as I feared…” he said faintly to himself, rubbing his old tired face with his spare hand before looking back down at the boy.

“Do you understand what any of this means?” he said clutching the letter, giving it a faint shake for emphasis and as the boy simply shook his head in ‘no’ back to him, the man let out an exasperated chuckle “...oh if only you knew child.” He took a step closer before bending down to the little boy’s eye level, staring him down “There have been legends passed down for generations in this land of a mythical hero who slays the darkness that corrupts this wasteland.” he began, “they say that this hero had the steely determination and the will to make things right, no matter what. To save those near and dear to himself, and all of hyrule, not for fame or riches...but for a greater future. Because it was right.” the man stated with almost a fondness.

“The hero of legend, slayer of darkness, I once…” the man paused before standing in his place, the boy tilting his head in slight confusion before the man continued, shaking his head “...knew one of them. He was sent by the goddess of Hylia to protect the land, but especially the princess of this land, princess Zelda.” he finished with a faint exhale before continuing.

“Princess Zelda is the daughter of the royal hylian family, the rulers of this kingdom, and this letter states that- ...that she was recently captured by a creature called Ganon” the old man slowed, his distaste of the word being known as a scowl began to form. “Ganon is the most pure form of evil and hatred you will ever encounter child. Mystical powers, dark magic, an entire army under hit belt of fowl creatures and beings...he is the reason hyrule, our land, this kingdom...is how it is today.” the old man was looking morose at the floor, noticing back at the boy as he had a confused expression.

“You are a child, this is the world you were born in, it is all you know...you might not understand any of what I am telling you, but know that the hyrule you are living in is not how it always was. A large royal castle, towns, villages, creatures and races from all over the land...they are all gone now. Ganon destroyed all of them.” the man’s scowl returned, with both his fists clenched “he needs to be stopped, to be slain once and for all...but hyrule is powerless to stop him.” the man hung his head with a sigh, looking over at the pile once again “...powerless or too weak, too scared...lack the courage” he said faintly.

The man stood in place not taking his eyes off of the pile, a wistful look in his eye.

“I do not know why you came here, but I do not need a reason. I see in your eyes the same look described in those legends.” he said, turning back to face the boy as he in turn opened his eyes wide. “Yes my boy I see it in YOU! The eyes of the hero!” he said with a very faint smile visible barely under his long white beard, pointed at him before looking back down at the letter. “You do not need to know what I am saying or what this letter says, I know you will do what is right regardless to help those in need...is that correct?” he finished by looking back up at the boy, his eyes with a faint twinkle.

The boy’s eyes shifted towards the ground, clearly thinking to himself before looking back at the old man with a firm nod which gave him a chuckle “Oh I knew you would, the fact that you have this letter” he gave it another shake “is proof enough of that. Now…” he cleared his throat again, rising back to his tall standing position before turning his back and slowly walking towards the pile with purpose. The boy shifted slightly in place, trying to get a better view as the old man lifted the sheet, but his red robes and the dim lighting left nothing visible. The man dropped the cloth, dust flying around as he hung his head to the floor, lightly muttered to himself “forgive me” before turning to the boy a long thick cloth in his hand.

“Do you wish to save the princess to unite the royal family and return hyrule to its former glory? Do you wish to slay Ganon, the demon king, so hyrule can finally have peace?” The man stated almost regally, lifting out the cloth with both hands before looking down at the boy who this time did not pause for a second to give a hard nod. The man chuckled followed by a sigh “of course you would” he said faintly to himself, slightly bowing his head, only to then straighten his back up again with a regal stance “then take this” he said dramatically pulling the cloth out of his hand to reveal a sword. He crouched down onto his one knee, holding out the sword as the little boy inspected it, eyes and mouth wide. A brown rustic leather sheath, with stitches at the tip, and a golden hilt with the same brown leather wrapped around the base, a bright shining red ruby at the end. The boy grabbed its base, pausing a few seconds, before pulling out the sword in a slow but smooth motion, revealing the shining silver blade, reflecting the light of the torches brightly all around the cave.

The boy admired the sword’s great beauty, but could not help but notice the almost sad look on the mans face. “This land of hyrule is dangerous child, nothing will show you any mercy.” the old man was staring daggers into the boys eyes “I wish it had not come to this, but going through hyrule alone without a weapon is suicide...so take this, as my gift to you.” he said thrusting the sheath into the boys hands before rising up. 

“You need to go to the ancient dungeons of this land, and gather up the shards of the triforce.” He stated with purpose but then saw the boy’s slight confused expression “golden triangles spread throughout the land. They hold great power…” the man paused in his sentence and he flinched slightly before continuing “you will need these shards to face Ganon, child. Gather all 8 and you will be ready...read to face him, ready to save the princess.” He said with a nod as he steadied himself.

“I do not ever expect you to forgive me for this...you do not know how much this will change your life child. I do not know what you will face...but I know you are the hero that Hyrule needs and I know you can do it.” the boy had placed the sword in its sheath and strapped it to its side, the old man gripping onto his green tunic by the shoulders “Stay safe.” he said before handing him another package, some bread which he placed into the boys pack. He nodded, knowing he was now ready and gave him a slight nudge towards the entrance “now go, save the princess. Prove you are the destined hero!” he said to the boy with a slight wave as the boy gave a nod before quickly leaving the cave without another glance.

“Oh Hylia forgive me…” the old man said once again, clutching his head in his hands as he could not stop himself from laughing, through the tears that were now forming in his eyes “I’ll see you soon Zelda…”.


	4. New Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having been armed with weapons and knowledge, the little hylian begins his adventure.

The newly armed hero left the cave, the orange sky filling his vision, as he now felt slightly differently about the world. He looked to his left and his right and saw rock faces and valleys he had never seen before that could hold anything in them, perhaps a new home to find and start everything he had all over again...but now things were different. He had a purpose. A reason to be! ‘Save the girl, save Zelda’ he kept chanting to himself in his head; who is Zelda? What does she look like? Is she even still alive? Who knows, but the boy didn’t care, he knew he had to do it. The old man had said so, he had his faith, his gifted arms, and he knew he was ready.

 

‘Save Zelda, save the princes!’ he continued to chant as he took one of the valleys to his left, excited drawing his sword and hoisting up his shield as he began to jog. ‘I can do this. I can save her!’ he had now broken into a full on sprint, entering a small area with a few rocks around it, when suddenly...clouds of dirt and shifting of the ground was followed by four figures surrounding him. Before the boy could even figure out the new creatures he was seeing a rock came flying at his face. It was barely blocked by his shield quickly flying upwards, the impact staggering him back before being hit by another...and another.

 

The hylian continued his hold on his shield and he was pushed further back at the impacts hitting his arm, bracing for each one before off to his right he spotted another one, this one as clear as day for him to look at. A red octopus like creature with dark menacing eyes that bore into the boy’s, clearly charing up another rock to launch at him if he didn’t think quickly. He weighed his options, thinking he could just turn and run…’no, not now!’ he thought before dropping his guard and lunging towards the creature, sword raised, and slashed at it. As he swung his sword a beam of light shot out of it and crashed into the creature, it letting out a quick yelp of pain followed by an even angrier and darker stare, launching another rock. The boy stared at the sword in wonder before barely blocking it, but did not stop his charge as he gave the creature another slash, this one fully connecting, as the octopus let out a louder yelp before quickly exploding into purple smoke.

 

The boy marvelled at its reaction but was interrupted as he felt one of the other creature’s rocks hitting him in the back. The force staggered him, almost sending him flat on his face, turning to face the assailant and seeing three more of the octopus creatures in a line. The boy stared at them, then at his sword, a look of determination in his eyes has he swung his sword to shoot the beam again and...nothing. Nothing happened. The boy stared dumbfounded, even giving the sword a small shake as if it needed some encouragement but again, no light came out. The creatures were bearing in and he took this chance, slashing as wide of a hit as he could to strike at all three, them moving back at the force of the hit as their triple yelps of pain filled the air. One shot, the child blocking it before finishing that one off, next he focused on the one to his right that was trying to get out his sight and to his back for a counter attack but the boy had caught on and slashed at it too. Only one more remained, it charging at him and knocking him down to the ground. His shield slipped from his grip with a loud thud as it hit the dry floor, the octopus releasing its upper hand and made one final charge, but the hylian was just about quick enough to react, pointing out his sword in front of him and stabbing, the creature getting impaled on it before the final creature poofed away.

 

The boy let out a very loud exhale followed by faint panting as he checked around him to make sure there weren’t anymore octo creatures trying to sneak up on him, but he seemed in the clear. Getting to his feet, he brushed off his tunic and picked up his shield again, wiping his forehead while he surveyed the area. A path to the left and one to the right, infront of him was a rock wall. To his left was what seemed like more rocks leading into another valley, but to his right looked like a slight opening with what appeared to be bushes. Hoping that plant life meant more peace, he took the right option.

 

A long but short and spread out row of dark green and brown trees filled the area, this clearly was at one point a lush fully grown forest but due to the death and devastation of the land, these spread out series of brush were all that remained.  _ PFOOM _ he heard the sound the octopus creatures made followed by the whirring of a rock flying towards him. He blocked, staggering back at the impact once again and raised his head over the shield...only to be greeted by eight of them. His eyes widened, his body tensed as 16 pairs of evil hate filled eyes were staring at him, charging at him. That time when he thought about running? Now. Now was the time. Now now NOW!

 

He ran to his left, the series of trees looking like they spread out for ages but there was an opening. Running towards it, the Octorocks behind him chasing, snarling, launching rocks as they crashed behind him and to his side. More and more were appearing to his left and right, as if they were hiding behind or under the trees, one coming in his way which he quickly bashed out of his sight with his shield as he reached the opening. Spinning on his heel, he raised his shield and gripped his sword tight as he waited for the sea of octopi. He waited, taking a few steps backward for distance ever few seconds, but all he heard was silence. Silence and water. He spun back around and off to his left was a large looking lake. To his right was what looked like more of the forest but at his left, a big stretching vision of blue with something brown off to the distance in the middle of it all. Almost like a lone island out at sea, with a small wooden bridge leading to it.

 

‘A bridge must mean there’s something valuable at the end of it’ he thought to himself, but just as he had finished it and took a step towards it there was a splash. Out of the water popped a large dark red and blue fish looking creature, a Zola; its big rounded lips and snarling teeth bared at the boy before it spat. Practically out of instinct now the boy held up his shield to brace for the impact and was hit so hard he fell over, scraping his elbow. He stared at the fish in horror as the sticky substance was leaking off of his shield, a slight sizzling being heard as it landed on the dry floor with a very faint puff of smoke. The boy lightly rubbed his scraped up elbow and began to get to his feet quickly, especially as he heard a digging sound coming from around him which was getting louder and louder.

 

He made for the bridge, not even looking for what the source of the digging was, just keeping his eyes on the water to avoid the evil fish monster. Running, panting hard, he finally made it to the beginning of the bridge as the dark green forest to his right had faded away to brown and dead looking trees, along with some more wonderful Octorocks. There however was a difference, three of them were the red from before, but one was blue. Big, blue and very very angry looking. As soon as the boy had made eye contact with it out shot a rock, the boy dodging it and just running for the bridge.

 

The wood creaked under his feet as his old leather boots hit them, sprinting as his life depended on it across the surprisingly narrow path. Once he had made it halfway one of the boards gave way, sending him tripping forward and landing roughly on his face; luckily he had shielded himself slightly with his shield, though that didn't make the impact any less painful. The fall didn't stop his panic though, as he heard a splash beside him, looking over at it he saw the dreaded Zola again staring him down. Its orange beady eyes squinted down and it spat out at him, the boy just narrowly getting missed by it and making his way down off the bridge into the shut off island area.

 

An old rock looking wall surrounded the entire island, but the boy was in no shape to complain as it would mean he was safe from the damn Zola. He panted hard, seeing some dead run down trees in front of him and a single lone Octorock. It turned to him, made a small yip and was swiftly slayed by the hylian, the purple smoke surrounding floating away as soon as it appeared. The boy placed his hands on his knees and heaved forward, panting and breathing out hard as sweat was beginning to pour down his face. He looked back at the bridge he had crossed and saw the series of red and single lone blue Octorock almost patrolling the area and told himself he would slay them.

 

In his panic and fever he had not noticed what exactly he had found though. Alongside the dead trees he had noticed, which now that he was looking at them, it appeared as though they had faces, in the middle of them all was a much larger and wider tree. It too looked like it had a face, with a big gaping dark mouth...which looked like it lead to somewhere! It was definitely big enough for someone to go inside. He boy reached into his pack and brought up the pieces of paper he had been given once again, and made out a symbol of what looked to be the exact same face that he was staring at now. ‘This must be one of those dungeons’ he thought to himself as he neared the entrance, eyeing its architecture before wincing in pain. The damage his back and arm had taken were now making themselves known as the adrenaline had worn off. The boy took this chance of safety, at least for the time being, to rest up against one of the dead trees; or on second thought he rested up in the corner of the island...he didn’t trust those trees they could eat him!

 

He placed down his sword and shield, took off his pack and slumped down against the wall, the rough dry ground greeting him, however at this point it practically felt like his bed. He took out some of the bread the old man had given him and began to munch on it, staring up at the sky as he mentally prepared himself for the dungeon he was about to face. If the creatures up here on the land were this harsh and evil...what could he possibly find in one of those?


	5. First Dungeon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having discovered a small island in the middle of a lake, the little hylian enters the hidden structure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear god, this is the only dungeon I'm doing a full write up for because this was LONG. I dunno if it will be much fun to read as it felt like it could get pretty repetitive writing it, so if you don't want to read it you can just skip to the next chapter with the mindset of "hey he beat the dungeon!".

The hylian stepped down the old stone stairs, his steps echoing down the dark passage along with the faint sounds of his equipment moving as he did, until he was greeted with the dungeons main hall. A rather large stone room littered with small carved statues; of what exactly the child could not tell as age or vandalism had worn them away, however they were all surprisingly still standing, looking proud and regal. The intricate dark blue stone carvings in the wall gave the room a rather impressive appearance, the torches on the walls making the room look like it was almost shining, or dancing. He had never seen structures like this in his entire life! The boy couldn’t help but wonder to himself it if looked this magical now...how did it look before Ganon’s reign? Did Hyrule castle look like this? Was it even more gorgeous? He would never know.

 

A door infront of him caught his eye and snapped him out of his thoughts, walking up to it faintly before rubbing his hand along it. An old stone door, matching the same make of the rest of the hall and presumably dungeon, however there was a very large hole in the center of it that looked similar to a keyhole. The boy looked behind both of his shoulders and eyed two doorways at either side of him, thinking the key to get through must be in one of those. He decided on the doorway to his left first, his grip on his weapon tightening to prepare himself for what he could face. No doubt the rest of the dungeon design and structure wise would be just as beautiful as the main hall, but its inhabitants not so.

 

He found his answer as behind a large stone pillar (of which was the same colour as the rest of the dungeons blue halls) were walking skeletons. Clad in faded red armour, swords in hand, shuffling about as if on a routine patrol, the hylian couldn’t help his shriek of horror he let out upon seeing them, to which one turned its head towards him and began to near in. The walking pile of bones took an admittedly slow swing at him, which he was easily able to dodge and give a two strike of his sword in return, the skeleton crumpling into the floor before fading away; in its wake however lay a small key which the boy quickly picked up, but before he was able to admire it two more skeletons were lumbering they’re way towards him.

 

Seeing the strength of their presumed captain (as he was the one in possession of the key) the hylian had a sense of confidence and ease about him as he quickly slayed the two skeletons before they could even swing at him, and caught the final one off guard from behind. The room was now empty, everything once again silent besides the faint sound of the torches flickering and the boys faint breathing. Having found relative safety, he pulled out the key he picked up and gave it a look over. It was rather simple looking with a looped end which branched out into a small stem with the key bit at the end, however its shining gold material did still make it a marvel to behold to the small hylian holding it. He eyed it over and when he saw a faint reflection of himself in it, he couldn't help but smile faintly before remembering why he needed it.

 

The boy made his way back into the main hall with the door on his right which he walked up to, running his hand along the keyhole once more before looking down at the key in his hand, seeing if they were similar enough size. He placed the key in slow and gently, before turning it clockwise. There was a faint click followed by a rather loud rumbling as the door opened infront of him to reveal a new room. However before the boy went through he looked over at the doorway to his right, the one he had not yet entered. He walked to the center of the room to get a better look through the doorway, and it appeared to be a dead end and seemed empty. Shrugging his shoulders he decided he would check out the room while he was here, and as his little legs took him there he was greeted by three bats hanging along the ceiling, which wasted no time in swooping down to try and attack him, squeaking angrily.

 

He dispatched of the first one in an almost unconscious swing, before following another with his eyes as it tried to fly around him and out of his vision, which another had done he realised as it swooped down at him. He raised his shield just in time and blocked it, there being a thud that echo’d faintly through the room before the boy slashed at it with his sword, it falling to its strength with a faint squeak. Final bat; it squeaked above him angrily as it swayed from side to side trying to find an opening, the hylian trying to reach up to swipe at it but being too short to which he could have sworn he heard the bat laugh at him. Tightening his grip on his sword, the boy jumped into the air as his as he could and swung hard, the bat being caught off guard by the sudden gain in height and falling before it could comprehend what had happened.

 

Landing to the stone floor with a thud, his leather boots sliding slight, the hylian let out a satisfied huff before realising that another small key had appeared close to the entrance to the room. He rushed over to it and examined it, noting it looked basically the same as the one he had just picked up before looking over the room. He couldn't find any switches or mechanisms or anything that could have activated the key appearing...did he just not notice it fall from one of the bats? He continued to think to himself as he re-adjusted his pack and finally went in through the main door he had opened up with the initial key.

 

Once again, he was greeted by a room with a large stone pillar in the center with three skeletons off to the right of it patrolling around. These however were not as oblivious as the first group, all three immediately setting their sights on the hylian infront of them and slowly marching towards him. He slashed at one, it tumbling back into the other two sending all three staggering slightly as the boy rounded them, keeping his shield up and them in his sights as he took their disorientation into his advantage, slaying all three and hearing the sound of a faint clink echoing throughout the room as the smoke cleared to reveal a small blue rupee. The hylian bent down and picked it up, rubbing it with his tunic sleeve to polish it slightly before marveling at it, catching his reflection once again but this time his smile did not fade. He turned it around and then bounced it a few times in his hand, before putting it in his pack with another satisfied huff.

 

On the other side of the stone pillar straight ahead from the door he had come through was another doorway, striding through it with purpose to be greeted with yet even more skeletons, about five in fact. Eight Octorocks had made him run for his life, but seeing how these skeletons fought, the fear that had once consumed him was slowly fading as he surprisingly quickly managed to dispatch of the group. Once the smoke cleared there was another clink of a rupee hitting the floor but an even louder echo of metal slamming against the intricate stone. As he had figured out there was infact another rupee sitting where one of the skeletons used to be, this one however was red, eliciting another smile and stare of wonder at it, before eyeing yet another key that had fallen as it too was pocketed.

 

Door to his left and door to his right, he could see the one to his left had what seemed to be another door in it where as the one to the right was another seemingly dead end, but between two small stone pillars was an item of some sort. Drawn to it, the hylian rushed into the room only to be greeted by a bunch of bats. Just a whole bunch, about eight of them. They squeaked and hissed at the child intruder, coordinating with each other as they swarmed him. He managed to fight off a few, spacing himself between them but one got a good swipe on him, cutting his cheek with a claw mark. This made his face sting and his eyes burn slightly, reaching up to put a hand over the mark before slashing angrily at the culprit, taking out another two before finishing off the final one with a pained slash as his sword slammed into the ground with a loud echo.

 

The hylian panted to himself for a bit, letting his anger subside as he rubbed his cheek again, no blood being left over but he could tell by how it stung on his face that it had to be a bit of a mark. He went to go leave the way he came before remembering he saw something that made him enter in the first place, and was greeted with a small circular object made of wood and glass. It spun and wiggled slightly as he picked it up, and had big bold letters of N,S,E and W on it; it was a compass. The hylian cocked his head to the side as he looked at it however, and as he turned himself the compass spun too; he knew that meant something but he could not for the life of him figure out what it meant. Grumbling a bit to himself he placed the compass in his pack and rubbed at his cheek again, ‘fight off an army of bats for that thing…’ he thought to himself as he left the room and went through the undiscovered doorway infront of him. What did it hold? More bats; more damn bats!

 

Not only that but as he entered the room the door behind him shut which alerted all the bats in the room to him, and as they noticed the cut on his cheek he could see a shift in their movements. More erratic, making more squeaks and little beady red eyes staring down at him hungrily. The boy let out a raged sound and slashed wildly at them, the sound of sealing bats and sword clashing with the stone and body parts filled the room, before the smoke cleared and all the bats were dead. A deep breath and a huff left the boy before he saw another locked door, reaching into his pack to pull out the key he had picked up to go unlock it, once again it making a small clicking noise before the loud rumbling of the door opening echoed throughout the room.

 

‘If this room has bats in it too…’ the boy thought to himself as he waited for the door to finally open, just taking the leap of faith through the doorway to face the other army of flying devils he knew were there, and was instead greeted by three little blobs bouncing along the floor. He was taken aback, he didn’t exactly know what he was looking at as these small dark blue masses of goop rolled and jumped about the place...he almost thought they looked cute, until one jumped at him leg and it hit him with enough force to actually hurt and bruise it. Okay, they can fight. He chased after the blob with his sword raised and hit it down, the thing disappearing in one hit and was quickly followed by the other two. Now that he could look at the room he saw a doorway to his left, but the door on his right was shut; not with a keyhole like the previous ones, this one looked different.

 

He got up close to the door and examined it with his hands and eyes, trying to find an opening or switch or something but he found nothing, just the crack running down the middle of it to clearly indicate that it was a thing that could be opened. He turned back to the room, to see if there was a switch there or something he was missing, but all he saw was a single lone stone pillar in the center. The boy looked over the pillar, then the room once more, just to shrug his shoulders and leave this for later, going through the doorway infront of him.

 

A few more stone pillars, what appeared to be a scroll sitting on a table and more of the blue blob things. He almost wanted to just walk around them, not even bother killing them but when one got too close on the way to the table he decided to just end them all. With all the blobs gone, he made his way to the table, picking up the scroll and undoing the small string around it. Dust filled his nose which made him left out a small sneeze which echoed throughout the room, making his face heat up slightly before looking at the parchment. It was a layout of...something, a series of rooms with all sorts of labels. It wasn't until he turned it around a few times that it clicked in his head, though he couldn't read the writing on it he figured out the layout he was looking at was the dungeon he was in. He could make out all the rooms he had just gone through, going back in the order he went, until making his way to this room which was at the very center. There were three more rooms above him and 4 to his right.

 

Since they were closer and shorter he took the upper rooms first, being greeted to a room filled with water and a series of crystal stone platforms jutting out of it to make a series of small paths around the room, which a trio of skeletons was patrolling; skeletons, that's fine, anything that wasn’t bats he could handle. He took out the skeletons, kicking one into the water which made it actually make a slight yelp before it disappeared into the now trademark purple smoke, the aftermath of his battle being another blue rupee and another small key, which he used to open up the door at the end of the room. This was followed by another water filled room with similar platforms, however the inhabitants were new. Walking rat people wearing shambles of cloth and leather, wielding boomerangs to which the hylian got very closely acquainted with as they were thrown at his face by the trio. The boomerangs were easy to block with his shield but the sheer amount being thrown made the fight a bit of a challenge, especially due to how fast the rat men seemed to be and the amount of hits from his sword they could withstand, however he was victorious in the end. 

 

Another key for another door, however there were two new items lying on the crystal path. A small glass bottle containing a red looking liquid, as the boy inspected it the bottle had a label with a heart on it, along with a series of bombs. The boy’s eyes widened at the sight and tied them to his belt, not knowing what they did but he knew they were dangerous just from the look of them. Back to the potion, he contemplated what exactly it could do, but the pain on his cheek returning made him hope it was some type of healing potion or something; thankfully to him, that is exactly what it was. The pain on his cheek didn't go away, neither did the scrape on his elbow the bruises on his back and leg, but he felt...better. Not as awful as he had been. But even then with his new lease on life and need to save the princess, he could be feeling like he was going to die and nothing would stop him!

 

...except for bats, those are scary. And Octorocks, those are scary too.

 

Next door opened with the small key he acquired, and before he could even enter the room he heard a loud  _ CHUNK  _ and dived backwards as two bladed metal structures came flying infront of him. He thankfully dodged them and saw as they returned to their corners they had once been, and as he observed the room he noticed there was one of these contraptions in all 4 corners. That and a series of stone pillars in the center of the room laid out in a weird way. He decided that maaaaybe going into the metal death trap room wasn’t such a good idea and turned around, those look scary too.

 

Backtracking to the room he had discovered the map in, using it to be sure he was going the right way, he opened the door with the key he got and it swung open to reveal a room with three more walking rat men. As before, easy to block their boomerangs, but the fight was a bit lengthy as they were surprisingly resilient. Instead of dropping the bombs or another key instead there was the faint sound of wood falling to the stone floor as one of their spare boomerangs had fallen. He walked up to it and picked it up, spinning it in his hand a few times before giving it a throw, it coming back surprisingly quickly and easily to him, though catching it in his hand stung a tiny bit. He gave it a few more throws to be sure and then nodded to himself and attached it to his belt along side the bombs before heading through the doorway.

 

A room filled with pillars flooded his vision, and in the corner of his eye was another key. He slowly but with purpose walked over to the key and picked it up, only to have a large shadow looming over him. He turned, saw the shape of a giant hand and let out a horrified yell and then there was darkness. Trapped, unable to breathe, couldn’t see anything before a rough impact with the floor dazed him. Rubbing the back of his head and then his eyes, he made out he was still in the dungeon, its blue stone walls reflecting the flickering torch light still in few, of course along with the intricate and ornate stone statues! Wait...stone statues? He’s seen these before. He stood up, looking around the room before reaching to his pack and checking the map, the two doors either side of him and the one leading fowar- he was back at the beginning of the dungeon.

 

The hylian let out a loud groan as he planted his face into his hand, shaking his head as he did so, making sure to make a mental note to avoid the creepy looking hands at ALL COSTS.

 

He made his way back through the dungeon with the help of the trusty map, as when he had tried to do it from slightly over confident memory that proved to just get him lost, as the blue stone rooms had a habit to be blending in to one another and being almost identical to the last. Back in the room at the far left of the dungeon that contained the closed door and the single stone pillar, the hylian sighed and looked over the room once more, going back over to the door to just try and rip it open with his hands. Maybe that health potion he drank gave him super strength? The child’s groans at his attempt to open the door filled the room, his hands shaking, his face scrunching up with his eyes shut tight before letting out an exasperated huff as he backed away from the door. It sat there unmoving, almost taunting him at how weak or dumb he was which made him give the nasty door a kick.

 

He let out a sigh, needing to calm down and regain his energy, so in a slump he dropped his weapons with a loud thud and folded his arms, leaning on the stone pillar for support. Shutting his little eyes, he just focused on breathing and taking in the quiet silence of the room which relaxed him enough to rest all of his weight on the pillar. The pillar responded to the newly added weight with a low scraping sound and moved away from the boy’s back, sending him falling flat down onto the stone floor. He rubbed the back of his head with a wince and saw the pillar had moved a few steps back and a loud clicking was heard, similar to the key interacting with the previous doors, and then the stubborn door infront of his view swung open in less than a second. The boy stood rapidly to his feet, picking up his weapons once again and looked back at the pillar confused, then at the floor as he made out a bunch of scratches and scrapes but also a small dip for the pillar to move through.

 

Of course a dungeon that people were paranoid enough to lock with keys had secret rooms...he laughed to himself lightly and went through the newly opened door, eyeing the doorway with slight suspicion and annoyance. He found himself in a dark room, faint torches flickering but almost giving off no light, along with a shadowy figure in the center. There was a silence followed by a faint chuckle, he saw the figure bobbing slightly as it laughed. “So...you found my hiding spot did you boy?” the figure said in an aged but happy voice. “I’d say thats worthy of a reward...go to the upper rooms north of here, there you will find a hall with metal blades and stone pillars” the figure stated almost as if it was telling a riddle, but the boy knew exactly what room he meant; the death room. “Move one of those pillars as you did the one to get here, and you will find a bow. Its very powerful but only through the use of rupees as its arrowheads.” was stated matter of factly by the figure, it miming a man with a bow held ready. “The small coloured crystals you might find on the creatures around the land…” the hylian knew and quickly reached into his pack, pulling out the red one he had acquired earlier and the figure nodded “yes exactly those. Well done.”

 

The voice echoed throughout the room and then it looked as if the figure faded into the darkness and he was once again met with silence. The boy nodded in thanks, hoping the figure would see and then left to head for the death room. This time he was not caught off guard by the sudden blades appearing in his wake, swiftly dodging them and coming face to face with the pillars mentioned. He began to push and kick at every one he came across, making sure to dodge the blades in his way before finally on the very left side of the room, as he pushed on the pillar with all his might it shifted to the side just like the figure had said.

 

There was the loud click followed by the sound of something opening, which was revealed to be a series of stairs leading down into the floor in the center of the pillars. The boy eyed it curiously and took a few steps forwards, of course it just being pitch black. This seemed to be something he would just have to get used to, seems the former inhabitants had a bad habit of not wanting to illuminate their stairways…

 

He cautiously climbed downwards and was greeted with a small basement area, this one made of much older and less refined looking grey stone, clearly not intended to be seen by most who entered the dungeon. The staircase was long but once he was at the bottom of it a long hallway stretched out with a smaller staircase off at the end of the hall leading to the left; that and bats. Of course it was bats. They shrieked at the hylian and he let out a noise back, stabbing and bashing at them until the 4 of them were dead and the room was silent. As he made his way down the hall and to the stairs he hoped that of the 8 or so dungeons he would have to traverse, that this was the bat dungeon and that he would never encounter any again.

 

He finally reached the end of the hall and up the staircase, and as the man had said, there was indeed a bow sitting on a wooden table. It along with everything else in the room was covered in dust, giving it a blow which made the dust go flying all around, this time the boy was wise and covered his nose. He picked up the wooden bow and the man was right, it looked simple but the smooth wood with slight silver markings at either end looked and felt pleasing. Pulling the string, it making a satisfying  _ TWONG _ the boy couldn't help but smile and feel powerful. If he could find some arrows he wouldn’t even have to get near those damn bats.

 

The boy made his way back to the room with the creepy hand, this time wasting no time at all as he ran to the door to quickly open it, seeing another one of the big rotten blue hands slide its way out of the wall as if it was a ghost and he dove through. A large hall greeted him, the crafted stone floor covered in scratches and burn marks...the culprit? A big green dragon, and he did not look happy to have visitors. The hylian raised his shield, shaking in place as the room lit up in bright orange as a ball of fire was blasted at his defense, it heating up and shaking in his grip.

 

He lowered it just enough to get a better look at the beast, it snarling as fire rolled out of its mouth, smoke out of its nostrils, and the boy reached for his boomerang and threw it as hard as he could at the nasty dragon’s face. It hit him in the eye which made it roar out and stamp its claws into the ground, giving the boy a chance to rush up and slice at the beast, it yelping out in pain. Enraged the dragon reared up and spat out three balls of fire at once, the boy crouching down and cowering behind his shield, two of the balls flying barely either side of him. He stood and waited anxiously for the next burst or fire, and once it came sidestepped it swiftly and gave the beast another slash. It once again roared out and gave the boy a hard kick with one of its feet, sending him flying and scraping along the floor. He cried out in pain as he landed on his left shoulder, his arm shaking as his nerves fired off. The creature took its chance to blast out three more orbs of flame, the boy rolling along the floor to dodge one that came right for him. He did but heard a faint hissing sound, he looked around the room and then realised it was coming from him, more specifically, his belt. The black bombs he had tied there...one was lit!

 

The fuse was slowly going down and the boy’s eyes widened, quickly unfastening it and throwing it as hard as he could towards the dragon. It landed just in front of it which make it shriek out anger before the bomb exploded. Bright white and orange light filled the room as the flames and smoke engulfed the beast before it was hidden behind the explosion. The boy waited on the floor, weakly gripping his sword and charred shield, waiting for the dragon to poke its head out and finish him off...but as the chaos cleared, it was gone. He had done it!

 

The hylian let out a small laugh and shakily rose to his feet, slowly stepping over to where the dragon once stood and found nothing but a big black charr mark on the ground. The boy nodded to himself and saw the doorway the dragon was guarding, taking in a huff of air he strode his way through. Another large hall with a large stone structure in the middle of it, almost like a miniature temple, and from one side of shone a faint golden light. He boy rounded it to its entrance and there he saw it; in between four of the statues he saw in the main hall of the dungeon, these being untouched by damage and in pristine condition, was a floating golden shard. 

 

The golden light engulfed his eyes and body and drew him towards it, his hands subconsciously reaching out towards the shard. He felt his body fill with heat, his heart beating rapidly as it felt like the light was getting even brighter before finally laying his hands on it. He marvelled at the object, rubbing and turning it in his hands before he triumphantly reached up to the sky with it, to declare he had beaten the dungeon! As he did so he felt his heart fill with pride, his eyes becoming slightly watery and took in a clean deep breath. He lowered the shard and placed it in his pack, the golden light that illuminated the room fading, however he did not feel sad. Instead he felt stronger, full of energy. He rubbed at his once stinging arm and felt nothing. He checked his cheek, the cut that was there was gone, feeling nothing but the smoothness rubbing against his fingers. His shoulder he had scraped, his leg and back he had bruised...all fixed.

 

The boy raised his brow in confusion and took the golden shard into his hand once more...wondering if this golden shard is what healed him? He squeezed it in his hand and strength filled his body, making him giggle slightly at the feeling. This must be the triforce the man had told him about...capable of immense power, of healing; the boy felt better than he had ever felt in his life! Bringing out his sword he gave it a few powerful slashes, noticing they felt much faster and confident than before. He sheathed his sword and brought out the boomerang, throwing it giddily as the stinging that had accompanied catching it before was now gone.

 

Once the little hylian came down off of his high, he let out a slow but confident exhale as he sheathed and fastened all of his weapons, pulled at his belt to secure his tunic in place and marched his way out towards the exit of the dungeon.


	6. Creature in the Pond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One dungeon down, the hero finds a healing pond with a mysterious creature inside...

****As the hero exited the now conquered dungeon, his eyes taking a few seconds to adjust to the as always bright orange sky, he was caught in thought as an Octorock appeared out of the corner of his vision, firing a rock at him which he swiftly blocked, throwing his boomerang at his opponent to stun them, and then finishing it off with his sword that once again was now shooting beams of light out of it. He shook the sword a few times, curious as to why this sword’s ability was so temperamental but figure his new found strength had something to do with it. Maybe it could sense confidence?

 

Speaking of new found strength, he wasted no time sprinting across the rickety wooden bridge and came face to face with Mr. Blue Octorock himself who stared back at the hylian with fierce anger, and was swiftly hit in the face by a boomerang. It flew back stunned and was only just able to regain its composure when a beam of light shot out at the creature as it exploded into smoke. He heard the telltale sign of water splashing as the Zola reared its ugly head but the boy wasted no time lighting the fuse of one of his bombs and throwing it at the fish, its eyes widening before the explosion burnt its face. It snarled at the boy angrily and then disappeared into the water, having been “beaten” for now, it seemed.

 

He began his journey to find the next dungeon on his list, just barely being able to make out the map and, well calling them directions was possibly a bit generous, he more thought they just resembled symbols of animals and skulls and whatnot, he found his way towards a cave entrance. Slow footsteps echoed through the cave as he entered, there being blackness before he saw an ever so faint light, looking like it was coming from around a corner.

 

Around that corner was the source of the light, a series of torches hanging up on the rocky cave walls to illuminate what looked like a workspace. A series of different types of weapons hung off of some crudely made wooden racks, the weapons on them being just as crudely made and covered in dust, looking like they hadn't been touched for years. On the table next to them were a series of items, a large shield with a cross on it, some bombs and some arrows (the hero immediately wishing he had found here before entering the dungeon as having those spare arrows would have made his options using the bow a whole lot easier), all placed on the rough wooden table with one leg being slightly shorter than the others so it slanted to one side.

 

Behind said desk was a big angry looking man, bunches of dark brown hair and a big bushy beard placed below his irritated eyes. He stared down the hero before crossing his arms, looking impatient as the hero had taken his time to give the place a look over. “Well, you gunna buy summin?” he said with a gruff voice, gesturing to the table. The hero looked the man in his eyes, then over at the table again, this time now noticing under each item were a series of numbers laid out in little pebble stones, indicating the price of them in rupees. 160, 100, 60...the boy looked in slight confusion before his eyes lit up as he reached into his pack to pull out all of the small crystals he had found so far, both the blue and the red. The man shook his head and took one of each colour. “Look boy, these blue ones here are worth one, den these red ones here are worth about 5.” the man finished with an eye roll and then gave them back. The boy looked through the rupees he had in his hand, trying to work out how much he had thanks to the information the man had just told him, and figure out that they were all tough asks price wise when the hero currently in his possession only had...10. He widened his eyes, looking back at the man while putting his hands in his pockets, taking them out and then shaking his head. ‘I don’t have enough’ was what he was hoping to convey, and judging by the man’s reaction of an eye roll followed by an even more gruff “Den get lost will ya?” while pointing at the entrance to the cave, he might have understood him.

 

Leaving the cave in a huff, eyes slightly adjusted, it was back to walking. A few hours passed as he continued to make his way through the land, fighting many more octorocks and zola as he passed a series of rivers before making his way into a rocky cavern. On the way there one of the zola got a pretty good hit on him as he was busy taking down two said octorocks, wincing in pain before just making a run for it. He secretly hoped that he would randomly stumble upon one of those shards that made him feel better just sitting around up here, but he knew that actually expecting that would be silly...the hope was there though. What he ended up finding instead however was a very small pond surrounded by faint patches of brown grass against the beige stone and dirt floor. The hero was parched for water so he could not help himself as he let out a sigh of relief, no golden shard thingy, but water is good too.

 

As he neared the pond however he froze in place immediately as he heard a faint moving in the water. He knew what this meant by now, more deadly zola. Drawing his shield in a defensive stance and crouching down low to make sure his legs were covered by the shield, he slowly peered over it at the pound, ever so slightly making his was towards it. He could hear the water faintly splashing, as if something had moved and disturbed it, but could not see the source, until he got half way there where he saw the water move. A red finned head very slowly emerged from the murky light blue water, droplets slowly dripping off one by one as more of the head emerged, finally stopping in place as two black eyes stared out at him. He once again froze, ‘definitely Zola’ he thought to himself as his grip on his shield and sword tightened, waiting, just waiting for it to strike.

 

He stared at the creature, and it's dark bottomless eyes stared back at him unwavering, either one just waiting to see who would make the first move...but neither did. Time crawled by as the tension ate the hero up, ‘what is this thing doing?’ he thought to himself before his eyes started to shake slightly, making him blink roughly a couple of times to clear them, but as he started back the creature had moved slightly. Ever so slightly forward and upwards, revealing more of its face, however as it had done so the hero could not help but change his expression of fear and tension, to slight curiosity. Unlike the other Zola he had seen so far (granted he hadn't had much time to look at their appearance as they immediately spat at him) were red with dark blue scales, this one however had white. Very faded white, almost sickley, but white nonetheless, and the red of this one was much closer to pink than the dark orange of the Zola he had seen so far.

 

It had moved upwards enough to show off its mouth too, chin still just about touching the water, its mouth not being the big puffy lipped and scary sharp teeth he had come to see, but very thin, what almost seemed to be like hylian lips. The creature stared back at him the entire time, bubbles coming from the water as a very faint growling was heard, before suddenly stopping, he hero tensing up for the attack that had finally come! The creature ever so slowly raised its red clawed hand out palm side up, before holding it in place once it had fully reached out. The hero couldn’t help but tilt his head slightly in confusion, staring down at the palm of the creature expecting a mouth that would eat him or a secret blade but there was nothing, only noticing as he looked back that the creature had done the same tilting head motion he had.

 

This immediately made the hylian straighten his head back and the creature slowly did the same, followed by another sound, as if the creature was thinking. The boy slightly lowered his shield and sword, still in his defensive position, but curious to see what the creature would do, and its eyes widened sightly, almost hopefully before pausing in place. The boy continued to very very slowly lower his weapons, the creature following them with his eyes before it suddenly spoke out. Faintly, crackled.

 

“...peace?”

 

The hero jerked back so far he almost fell over himself on his back at the sudden voice, overcompensating at the potential fall by immediately standing to his feet, shield raised, sword at the ready, taking purposeful steps towards the creature.

 

“W-wait please!”

 

The creature once again spoke out, still raspy, but much clearer and louder, with a very obvious hint of desperation. All of the hero’s better judgement told him it was trick, some hylian legend of Zola who lured their captors into a false sense of security before eating them or something! But...he couldn’t help it, he stopped in place, staring the creature down in its black pools, slowly lowering his sword and shield once again, his body tensing up. The creature tensed up in response, eyes going wide again as it watched the hero lowering his defenses, before reaching out his hand again.

 

“I-If you do not attack me little fellow, I will not attack you. Y-you have my word!” The creature spoke out, shaking his hand slightly to emphasise his point, looking at it hopefully before back at the hero. The hylian in turn sat there, looking at the creature’s hand, then back to its face, slowly, every few seconds, before taking in a deep breath through his nose and nodding. He placed his shield flat on the ground, before slowly reaching his hand out, continuing to swap his glare back and forth as the creature watched his hand with intent, before the two clasped together lightly. The hero felt the grip around his hand tighten suddenly which made him tense up and eyes go wide, ready for the creature to pull him in and eat him, but it shook his hand with a very faint smile on its face.

 

“Thank you, child” he said giving the hero’s hand another shake before letting it go and bringing his hand back into the water. The hero in turn stood there for a few seconds, before exhaling loudly, stabbing his sword into the dirt and almost collapsing onto the floor in a sitting position, before then lay down on his back with a groan. They stayed like that for few minutes, the creature clearly expecting something to happen, but when nothing did, the hero just breathing heavily, the water moved as the creature rested both of its arms in a folded position on the edge of the pond. The hero looked his head up, still slightly paranoid that the creature lied, glancing at his hand to look for possible burn marks or something else it had left behind, but there was nothing. As he looked back at the creature all he saw was its big muscular and heavily scarred arms resting gently on the side, it was still faintly smiling up at him.

 

“Thank you for being kind and not immediately attacking me on sight” it said softly, rubbing one of its arms with his fingers over some scars “I understand I look frightening but I mean you no harm” he finished with a firm nod. The hero let out an exhale before leaning back up into the sitting position he was in before, staring down at the creature with a mixture of pain, confusion and very very faint curiosity. “M-maybe I can prove I am not a threat by introducing myself; I am Sidon” the creature said humbly bowing his head, revealing some more of his heavily scarred head fin which made the hero even more curious. ‘I’ve seen a lot so far but this is no ordinary Zola…’ he thought to himself.

 

When the hero did not answer, the creature Sidon looked to the side before looking back at him with those dark black eyes, “...how about you? What’s your name?” he asked hopefully, trying to appear as friendly as possible. The hero stared at Sidon for a few seconds before turning his head to the side and looking at the ground before shrugging.

 

“...do you not want to tell me?” Sidon said softly, trying to see if that is what the hylian meant. He did not respond, 'wrong answer then' he thought.

 

“...don’t have one?” he followed up, a slight sad tone in his voice, and a few seconds of pause and silence went before the hylian nodded. Sidon dropped his head slightly with a faint “oh...” before looking down at the ground himself. He stayed there for a bit, clearly thinking heavily to himself before back up at the hylian, only to notice the back side of his shield. Sidon leaned slightly closer out of the water to look better at the shield until he made out some writing. He pulled his hand out from his cross armed position and placed it on the shield, looking up at the hero to check his reaction and the hero simply stared, before Sidon rotated it around to face him and pushed down on its end to tilt it towards him so he could read.

 

He twisted his head a few times and narrowed his eyes at the text before mouthing “...link” faintly. “This shield of yours says Link on it, is that your name?” he asked the hero curiously, the hero once again not moving until he gave a shrug and a shake of his head at the same time. Sidon could not help but look slightly sad up at the boy, ‘not even knowing his own name…’ he thought to himself before he let out a faint gasp as he saw the hero’s arm had some faint blood running down it. “You’re hurt!”

 

The hero lifted his arm, groaned as he did, and then shook his head, as if to imply ‘its nothing’ but Sidon had other ideas. “Come closer, I can help heal you” he said reaching out a hand, the hero looking at the hand, then back up to Sidon, then back at the hand, tense. The boy narrowed his eyes untrusting and slightly shuffled backwards from the Zora, him in response letting out a exhale. “I promise I am only going to heal you, I understand if you do not trust me, but you are hurt” Sidon said helpfully, pausing for a few seconds before the hero once again groaned but nodded his head, placing his hand in Sidon open palm again.

 

The palm closed around his once again, this time much slower as to not scare the hylian, and gently but quickly pulled him up to his feet in one tug. The hero wobbled slightly before steadying himself, still looking very tense and slightly confused, before the creature himself began to stand. As he rose up the hero looked at the water from where he was rising, seeing more and more of the creatures body being revealed, more dull red and sickly white scales, more and more and more scars all over until- he didn’t stop rising. He kept going and going and going, he was up to his boots initially but he went past his knees, his waist, his chest, his shoulders, his head, he just would not stop until he was finally almost twice as tall as him. The hylian looked up in shock, faint anguish and sadness appearing in Sidon’s eyes as the hylian reacted like this before shaking his head in reassurance “Do not worry, remember I will not harm you.” he said softly, bowing his head.

 

The hero felt blood drip off of his hand and winced, shaking his head slightly before nodding as an ‘ok’. Sidon exhaled softly, lifting a hand to the air. The hero followed his hand with his eyes, before looking at the creature confused, Sidon once again reassuring “watch”. They waited for a moment before out of the sky, above from one of the rocks in the clearing flew a fairy, it floating gracefully before landing on Sidon’s hand, it being about the size of one of his long fingers. “Here” he said softly as he leaned his hand towards the hero. The hero hesitantly held out his hand, the fairy landing on it before beginning to spin around him happily, small streaks of lights and sparkles appearing before his arm was magically fixed.

 

He looked it over a few times before looking at the fairy, then back at Sidon, wide eyed and slightly open mouth “Amazing aren’t they?” he mused with a smile “if you are ever hurt, seek them out whether at this pond, or out in the world...or so I’ve been told”, he finished the end of the sentence with a slightly dower note, looking at the floor, but he felt a faint tap on his hand. Sidon looked up a bit in surprise as the hylian had a very small but noticeable smile, as soon as it was there it was gone, but it made Sidon feel very warm. The hero nodded his head before quickly gathering up his gear, straightening out his tunic and then leaving without another thought.

 

“T-thank you!” Sidon said suddenly and quickly as he noticed the hero was leaving. “And good luck...with whatever you’re doing” he finished to himself slightly morose as the hylian had already rounded the corner, sinking back into his pond with a sigh. He thought maybe he could ask the little boy why he was out here all by himself, what brought him here, but now Sidon only had those questions to ponder for himself as he lay floating on his back, staring at the now dark orange sky. ‘At least that’s one friendly face in Hyrule…’ he thought to himself closing his eyes with a deep exhale. ‘Hope he makes it.’

 

The hero broke into a sprint as he felt full with energy again, the multiple octorocks in his path not even being able to keep up with him as he ran in a direction he had not gone in yet, happy with the conquest of one dungeon down, finding a very useful and helpful healing source and surprisingly, a monster that did NOT want to kill him. Go figure...maybe should have asked him for help while he was there since he seemed friendly, but too late to turn back now...not that he really could ask anyway, rubbing his throat lightly. Maybe another time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray Sidon is finally in the story!


	7. The Zora's Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While going through his daily routine, Sidon's mind keeps wandering back to the encounter...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want some type of visual indication to what Sidon would look like, pick either one of those or combine the two!
> 
> Sidon from enulib's 'Water God AU': https://66.media.tumblr.com/a57c600cd16e4a544a3e80705f51cbf6/tumblr_p40btqAt8d1vw4fj1o1_540.png
> 
> AND / OR
> 
> This OOT Zora version of Sidon by Lulles: https://66.media.tumblr.com/06badaec44b1a19fbc8ff4ea22b19c14/tumblr_pcsv1iGmL71qa9ce6o1_1280.png

The air was cool and clear as the sky began to shift from the darkness of night time into the bright constant orange of day, the sun beginning to rise over the tall rocky mountain. Emerging from the little fairy pond he considered his home, Sidon took in a deep breath of the morning air and opened his eyes hazily, followed by a small yawn. He stretched his arms as high as he could over his head, letting out a low groan before dropping them heavily by his side, it splashing the pond water around him and giving the dry barren land around the pond some life.

With one final lazy rub of his eyes he was fully awake and ready to start his daily routine. Sidon let himself sink all the way down into the pond, the bright orange sky turning blue as he sank, until he hit its base. Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he bent his knees and took in a deep breath before pushing with all of his strength off of the floor directly towards the surface. Emerging with a big splash and with rather graceful form he flew over the rock wall that protected his home and landed in the grand blue lake next to it.

Not caring for a as graceful of a landing as his take off was, he hit the water with a splash, sending small waves to fly out onto the land and the patrolling Octorocks who snarled enraged at the water but just shook it off and continued their routine. The zora swam lazily through the lake, its much darker and saltier make of water compared to his small clear pond always caused a tiny bit of shock to his system, but he had been doing it for so long now that it was never more than a flight flinch and widen of the eyes. Initially when he had first entered the lake it caused him to almost hyperventilate at its powerful unfamiliarity but he was able to get himself under control.

This gills on his body smoothly opening and closing as his head fin flapped from side to side, propelling himself forward at a surprisingly rapid pace, nothing he had encountered in his life so far could even keep up to him. In the past when he had a few awkward run ins with the awkward looking fish creatures, the Zola, he feared for his life and worried they would catch and eat him, not taking kindly to other amphibians being in their territory. He found however that once they began to chase him and he swam for his life they were gone from his sight in less than a few seconds.

Sidon would never let himself get big headed about it but it did make him quite a bit more bold and, dare he say, reckless than he probably should be. Swimming around the big grey structure that was housed in the middle of this part of the lake, it too being walled off like his home, he caught the scent in the water of some nearby bass. His pitch black pools for eyes narrowed and a low growl emanated out of him as he began to track the scent, being swiftly greeted by about 5 hylian bass, beige and brown like the rest of the land, just swimming minding their own business.

In a sudden flash of red, the pack of pass was down by two, the remaining three beginning to panic and spread out far apart, swimming as fast as they could but, of course, it did not last long. The final three were caught mere seconds later, all five dead fish now being carried under Sidon’s muscled and scarred right arm. Smiling to himself at the successful catch, the Zora swam around the lake for a few more minutes, surfacing every so often to scan the land for anything potentially new or interesting. He never did find anything, as usual it was just the sight of all manner of creatures patrolling the land and the ever present orange sky looming above, but recent events had resparked his curiosity.

It had been a few days since the fateful visit from the hylian child and Sidon would be lying to himself if he said he hadn’t thought about that event each day. He hoped when he would look out from the surface of the lake, his large head crest and black eyes all that were visible to others, would eye the little hylian or possibly others of the same ilk; that maybe he wouldn’t be as alone as he thought he was, but it was more of the same as usual.

Once he had enough surveillance done it was time to head home. Making the leap back to his pond from this side of the lake was much more challenging than the initial entrance, however as he had been doing it for decades at this point, it was still done successfully every time. He launched himself from the deep blue, the octorocks from before trying to take potshots at him as he flew through the air but all missed weakly as Sidon splashed back into his pond; this time making sure to not splash everywhere as he had found from experience the fairies residing around the area did not take kindly to it.

He placed 4 of the bass on the side ontop of a red and silver blanket he kept and began to munch down on one of the fish eagerly. Sidon never really knew where the blanket had come from, just as long back as he could remember it was always with him. He had quickly outgrown it but kept it around to store food and other objects of interest he found (which admittedly were none), but also for sentimental value. The silver curves and symbols donned all over the fabric looked beautiful to him and always made him feel safe, though he did not recognise any of them.

The one bass having been scarfed down, Sidon wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a content sigh, floating along the surface of the pond on his back as he stared up at the cloudy tangerine sky. His mind wandered back to the encounter with the hylian again...who was he? What was he up to? Why wasn’t he hidden away like he knew others of his kind were in the dark caves that littered the land, instead of braving the harsh cruel world they lived in? And, most prevalent of all in his mind which made him scrunch his brow as he rubbed between his closed eyes with his fingers, why did the boy attack him? Why didn’t he run? Scream for help like everyone else had done...he didn’t know wether or not he was a monster but he knew he looked like one to the hylians. 

Long ago in his past, the Zora had met a little girl along with her parents running through the valley and made themselves shelter along the pond. They hadn’t noticed him initially, but the little girl was the first and her loud shrieks of horror dug into his heart, the parents with fear of death in their eyes picking her up and running away in terror once again. He never saw them again, and the same for any other hylians he had encountered...they could have found their safety like they hoped, or they could have met their end. In this cruel land of death and hopelessness, the latter was the more likely outcome...if the bodies of the dead were any indication.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sidon had laid there floating for what felt like hours, occasionally being awoken out of his naps by fairies landing on him. He paid them no mind, opening one eye faintly to confirm that is what it was and then exhaling in contentment before falling back into slumber. It wasn’t until he heard faint but rough footsteps out in the distance that he awoke with a snap, lurching forward to stare at the entrance of the valley, his body tense and ready for a potential fight. The footsteps neared as his eyes stayed unflinching, feeling his gills flutter tensely, until they finally reached the entrance...it was the hylian child himself.

Pointed hat and green tunic covered in faint splotches of dirt, however the hylian seemed to be moving as well as ever, as if he had barely taken any harm since Sidon saw him last. His shield and sword were raised once again as he spotted the shark man infront of him, but lowered slightly once he looked up and saw a few fairies fluttering about. Sidon tried his damnedest to put on a calming and welcoming smile to the boy as he waved faintly “Hello again.” His shield was lowered even more, and after some tense silence he nodded in return and fully lowered it, sheathing both on his back.

“Feel free to rest up, you’re safe here” Sidon said softly as he grinned up at the hylian, noticing his body lose practically all of its tension as he parked himself on his behind, the tenseness of his own body melting away as he rested his hands on the side of the pond and his chin ontop of them. They sat silently with each other, the boy reaching into his pack which he had taken off of his back and was now sitting infront of him, Sidon watching him curiously. The boy took off his hat and wiped his forehead with it, his brown hair flowing free and his large pointed ears even more visible. The zora could not help but smile at the action and as the boy looked at him a curious but suspicious stare he let out a very faint chuckle. “Forgive me for staring my friend, it has been so long since I have seen one of your kind” Sidon said softly, but the reaction the child had was sudden shock, his eyes and mouth going wide. 

He pointed to the zora, then at his eyes, then at himself, the zora taking a few seconds to try and comprehend what the boy meant and then nodding his head “Y-yes there are more of your kind! Or at least...there used to be” Sidon finished with a sad inflection. “Have you not encountered any on your travels?” he asked curiously, hoping the boy would say yes as to not see even more sadness fill his eyes and heart. The boy paused and then held up two fingers, then changed it to three and then four. Sidon nodded in response and put his fingers to his chin “So there ARE other Hylians out in the world” he pondered quietly before they both went silent once again.

“If I may ask” Sidon spoke out softly “what exactly is it you are trying to do?” he asked the hylian curiously. “Why aren’t you staying safe in your home?” the boy in response looked at the floor, clearly that being a painful question before shaking his head and miming a roof with his hands; ‘No home’. Sidon’s eyes widened and sadness filled his face, “...you don’t have a home?” the boy shook his head roughly and then mimed an explosion with his hands while making a sound to mimic one. Sidon was in shock “your home exploded? How?” he said with faint panic in his voice. The boy just stared at him with slight disbelief and then pointed roughly behind himself. Sidon stared at the boy and then let out a deep sigh, ‘of course those wretched creatures would be the cause of yet more misery…’ he thought to himself. ‘Leaving one of the few hylian children left in the world, who doesn’t have a family, not even a name, without a home too.’ anger began to swarm his body and his hands clenched up into fists.

He looked over to the little hylian who was staring at him with slight sadness but mainly looking past him, at the pond, clearly lost in thought. Sidon let a harsh exhale out and let the anger leave his body, getting angry now wasn’t going to accomplish anything, may as well try and cheer up the last people left in this land.

“I know this isn’t exactly a house but if you would like, you could make here your new safe haven? Has access to the fairies who will help heal you, well if you’re nice but I bet you have no trouble in that department” Sidon flashed the boy a kind toothy grin before continuing “and I am here to offer you any information I know!” he was practically beaming with pride now and he could see the hylian was at the very least paying attention to him. Remembering the fish he had caught earlier he picked one up and held it out towards the boy “ah aaaand I can go catch fish for you to eat while you are out...doing your thing.” he threw the fish faintly in the air and caught it in his hand again as a flashy display, and to his delight the hylian had actually cracked a small smile.

The hylian stood briefly from where he was and a pang of shock ran through Sidon’s body, worried that the boy was just going to leave again, but to his surprise he actually walked closer to him. He shuffled the papers lightly which he was holding and then thrust them out infront of him at the giant Zora, him in response cocking his head in confusion. He accepted however, taking the papers and letting out a soft “thank you” before beginning to read to himself, the hylian sitting back down again but noticeably closer than he was previously.

Sidon was faintly muttering the words to himself as he read before pausing as the anger from before was refilling his face. He did not speak, pausing that way before calming down slightly, lowering the papers as he had finished reading them. “So...if I understand it” Sidon began, clearing his throat “Ganon, the...thing that made the world as it is today” he could not help the disdain in his voice as he said its name, it almost leaving a dirty taste in his mouth “has captured the princess of the land.” he continued to which the hylian nodded a bit impatiently as if he was waiting for him to finish the full thing. “You were presumably given this because you are going to rescue her? Sidon said rubbing the length of his head fin.

The hylian once again nodded which made Sidon look more perplexed down at the paper then at the hylian. “...why?” he asked suddenly, it making make a surprised expression “do you know her?” he continued to ask to which the boy shook his head no. “Then...why save her? Why risk your life to save someone who you’ve never even met? Don’t even know!?” Sidon asked almost dumbfounded. The hylian stared at him, then down at the ground, thinking deeply as to how he should express what he is thinking and then sighed.

He took the paper from Sidon, standing to his side so both could see as he pointed at Ganon’s name. “Ganon” Sidon said out loud to indicate he was following. The boy did an angry expression and a thumbs down, “...is bad.” the zora stated, the hylian nodding frantically. The boy pointed at the name again then at Zelda’s “He...steals people” the boy nodded, pointed at the name again then drew his sword, dramatically slashing it a few times before stabbing it into the ground. “He...kills people” Sidon said quietly, the boy nodding slowly in response. He pointed to himself forcefully, “I” Sidon began, the boy grabbed his sword and stuck it into the ground again then pointed back at the name, before putting his fist forcefully over his heart “...want to kill him?” Sidon interpreted with eyes wide, the boy nodding and spinning his hand in a continue motion, pointed back at the name then shook his head “So he can’t...so he can’t kill anyone else. Steal anyone else” The zora said faintly, the boy nodding, a look of almost pride, of duty, filled his eyes.

The zora looked at the hylian, then at the paper, skimming it over once more, then deeply down at the the ground. “Child…” Sidon began before sighing and glancing at the shield the boy carried again “I know you said you do not have a name, and you do not know who the shield you carry belongs to...but I am going to assume because you are carrying it, the name on it is infact yours...Link.” the Zora looked in the hylians eyes and the hylian was about to interject in some way but Sidon raised his hand to stop him “I know you feel it is not yours but...I do not want to be so condescending and call you child all the time.” he said pained “I know it is probably not your name but...at least let me call you something else, as calling you but a child is a disservice to you. Your...bravery in wanting to help someone you do not even know, risk your entire life like that...means you are more of a man, of a hero! Than anyone else here.”

The hylian listened intently as Sidon spoke, and as he finished he clearly did not know how to handle what he was just told, his face in an expression of conflict. Sidon very slowly placed a hand on his shoulder, looking the boy in his eyes “Are you okay with me calling you Link?” he said softly, worry filling his face. The boy continued to look conflicted before sighing and looking down at the ground. Sidon did not dare move or say anything, he let the hylian work it out for himself. After a few minutes the boy raised his head back to the zora and gave him a nod, which earned him a small smile “Thank you...Link” Sidon said unclasping his shoulder.

 

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A long silence loomed as the both of them rested after their heavy conversation, Sidon floating on the surface of the pond once more and the hylian...Link, had his head rested on his pack. The orange sky had began to grow darker as the day was going on, the sun beginning to set behind the mountain. The silence was abruptly but quietly broken when Sidon shifted himself to be standing once again, grasping the letter in his hand and reading it over again.

Link had dozed off but the sudden noise awoke him, panic in his eyes as he went to reach for his sword. “W-woah its alright” Sidon said shakily with a chuckle “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to wake you, I just wanted to read over the letter once more” he said in a calming voice, it taking a few seconds to hit the hylians head and he nodded before letting it flop back on to the bag in a huff. Sidon spent the next few minutes mulling it over, looking at the other parchment that contained the series of symbols to indicate the dungeons, two of which had been sliced diagonally. “...Link? Are you still awake? Sidon said softly, the hylian responding with only a groan which made the zora chuckle to himself “what is this triforce the letter speaks of? Do you know anything about it? He asked curiously. Link made a startled sound and bolted his head up, a smile curling across his face as something akin to happiness overtook him. He reached into his pack, his breathing heavy, and pulled out one of the small golden shards. The light shining off of it illuminated the joy on his face before he held it out to Sidon in the palm of his hand.

Sidon let out a gasp as he brought his face closer to it, inspecting every side of it with bated breath “W-wow” he stammered, making Link let out a very quiet giggle. The sound made Sidon lurch a small bit but just made him smile even more before looking at Link. “L-Link this is...incredible!” Sidon said breathless “Where did you find it?” he asked as he could not take his eyes off of it. Link shuffled over to the paper with the symbols and pointed at one of the slashed ones, Sidon following his point and then letting out a faint hum “I see...it was in one of the dungeons? He asked with a tilted head to which Link nodded quickly.

After a short silence Sidon perked up again “...what does it do?”. Link shrugged his shoulders and shook his head before running back to his pack and unsheathing another golden shard, placing it in Sidon hand eliciting another gasp. “G-goodness another one?” he said in awe and Link nodded happily. The zora rolled it around in his palm before rubbing it lightly with his thumb. Link took the other he was holding and placed it next to the one he had given Sidon, holding up two fingers. He then pointed to each of the symbols on the paper then back down at the shards. “There is one in each of the dungeons” Sidon followed eliciting a nod from Link. He clasped his hands around the two shards and pushed them together “Combine them all…” Sidon stated, the hylian nodding again before placing his hand under his thin to think, excitement running all through his body before exaggeratedly miming a clenched fist “Power?” Sidon asked and Link nodded quickly, tapping his head excitedly “...knowledge?” Link nodded again.

Sidon thought to himself then looked up at the hylian with a knowing smile “You think that by gathering all 8 shards, they can help you slay the wretched beast Ganon!” with his eyes wide, the hylian nodding quickly and smiling. Sidon could not help but feel incredibly warm and happy when he saw Link’s smile, his determined look filling him with a need to do something. “I…” Sidon began before trailing off, Link looking over at him curiously “...I cannot guide you on land.” he began slowly, looking down at the ground “but I can give you any knowledge of the areas I have seen, or even guide you by the lake.” he said with a smile “I have travelled all over and will offer you any help I can my friend”. Link small smile was growing by the second, by the end almost shaking as he was trying to find some way to say thank you. Sidon caught on to this and chuckled “Do not worry Link, you do not need to say thank you. If you’re the one who is going into those dark evil places...I will help you in any way I can, it is the very least I can do!” Sidon said with a firm nod followed by a short chuckle “Hah we should instead be thanking you!” he gave Link’s shoulder a small nudge which made the little hylian giggle faintly, a big toothy grin plastered on Sidon’s face.

The sky was beginning to grow dark and the two noticed, the light shining off of the triforce shards almost glowing out in the dark. Link looked behind himself then back at Sidon before taking back the shards and the paper beginning to pack them away again. Sidon bolted upright in surprise “Y-you’re leaving?” he said worry lacing his voice, Link nodding in response “Will you not stay here like I offered?”. Link quickly nodded with a smile and then spun his hand around a couple times “Ah I see...later” Sidon said with a knowing smile to which the hylian nodded with purpose. “Well then I will not keep you anymore...remember if you ever need any help I will always be here. If you need knowledge or...hah potential new names” Sidon let out a small chuckle and a smile, which grew bigger as the little hylian laughed faintly in response. Link had everything packed back up and was all ready to go when Sidon quickly called out to him “L-Link wait”. The hylian stopped and then walked closer to the large red zora who took one of his hands into his, looking him deep in his dark eyes “Please...be safe.” he said with a worried smile to which the hylian simply nodded and ran off into the night.

Sidon smiled to himself and turned his back only to notice two of the fish had caught were missing. His eyes widened in shock before calming down with a knowing smirk. ‘His heart may be that of a man...but his mind is still a child’s’ he thought chuckling to himself before submerging himself in his pond.


	8. Dungeon in the Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link spots a structure that he thinks is a dungeon out in the middle of the lake, but has no way across.

Link wandered the shore of the dark murky lake, thankfully not having to deal with the pestering Octorocks and Zola’s that patrolled since he had taken them out, the caniving Zola taking quite a while to defeat due to its tendency to dive back under the water at the exact moment Link shot with an arrow; there goes about 20 rupees he wasn’t using. It was not all doom and gloom for him however as the magic boomerang he had acquired from defeating the 2nd dungeon a few days ago was becoming mighty handy for him as it didn’t just stun them for a few seconds, it was almost as if through the use of its magic it held the enemies in place for him to finish them off. It was invaluable!

What has been the most fortunate and useful find was the magic blue ring he bought from another blacksmith around the north-west of the lake. Sidon had taught him how to use the damn compass he had picked up from the first dungeon, but he would be lying if he said he fully understood it. He just knew that the big N always pointed towards the tall maroon mountain, so it acted as a good pin to show how far or close to it he was. One time when he was following his compass he found another small cave, noting that there seem to be a surprising amount of them around the land, much more than he originally expected (and some even hidden under old statues).

In said cave was another blacksmith, again there seeming to be a surprising amount of them around hyrule, however this one was not selling the usual items like extra bombs or arrows or large shield with the red cross on it (which he WOULD have one day!), no this one was selling something much more unique. From the outset it looked like a regular small blue ring, however as the man had explained to him, the ring acted almost as a magical protector to whomever wore it. It would practically double the amount of defense that Link had and from that description he knew he had to have it. For such an invaluable item though it did not come cheap, 250 rupees. 

It took him almost two full days to get the amount, gathered from a number of sources like the bokoblins to the east dropping them a fair amount, finding a hidden cave or two not with hylians in them but some type of creatures he had never seen before and due to the darkness could not quite make out what they were...but they seemed generous enough to give him rupees for finding them, as if it was some odd game of hide and seek. And finally to the north east Link thought he had found a dungeon but it turned out to be a hylian’s home who was running a small money making sca- um opportunity. Link gave him 10 rupees to bet on a chest and if he picked the right one he would get double that in return...this did not last long however as it felt gross and shady to him, and not to mention that even though he won on his first try, he only received 10 rupees more than he had to begin with...and taking that much of a risk on luck was too much for him.

Link laughed to himself as he remembered how once he had all the rupees he needed he practically ran back to the blacksmith and pounded his pouch onto the table. The man was skeptical but the show did give him a laugh too, counted all of them and went wide eyed when he did infact have the right amount. “...wow...well kid, looks like yer its new owner now” the main said with a gruff tone but another chuckle, almost seeming more impressed at his gravitas than the loss of the ring. Link however couldn’t help but have the tiniest scowl, he could not say it but he could, he was thinking to himself ‘It’s Link, thank you very much’.

He felt odd about the name at first, but the constant uses by the red shark back at the pond really helped it sink in, and after only a few days he had become used to it and thinking of it as his name had become practically second nature to him. He had put on the ring once he left the cave with what he was sure if someone was there to judge him for it, the smuggest smile had ever done and felt a slight shift in his weight. Not the overwhelming surge of power and energy he received each time he picked up a triforce shard, but this did still feel different...but nice.

What he had not noticed until he caught his reflection in the water was his tunic; it had changed colour. From the admittedly dirty and muddy green tunic, which Sidon had once offered to try and clean for him but Link responded with an adamant shake of his head and cross of his arms, to a pale blue...almost similar to the one that matched the clear waters of the fairy pond. While there was a split second he was impressed it was overtaken by childlike fear of the unknown and he rushed back to the man, his response of a shrug being no help at all. Since it wasn’t hurting him however, quite the opposite it made him feel tougher, he thought for the time being it should be fine...though he did feel sad to be missing his green colour. That was HIS colour.

There was a splash in the lake which snapped Link out of his thoughts, immediately reaching out his bow and nocking an arrow, only for the large dull red crest and dark black eyes to emerge from it; Sidon waving his hands in a defensive gesture. “W-woah Link, its me!” he said alarmed with a nervous chuckle. Link let out a sigh and lowered his bow, offering Sidon an apologetic look but the zora simply just smiled at him “it’s fine Link, you do not need to be sorry...just shows you’re quick on your feet, ready for anything!”. Link smiled and nodded, putting his bow away before tilting his head to convey confusion, Sidon quickly clearing his throat “Ah well, see I was out looking for fish to have for a snack, since SOMETHING keeps stealing all of mine” Sidon shot him a teasing grin and Link quickly glanced at the ground, trying to hide his guilt which made Sidon chuckle “but as I was out I saw you here on the shore and thought I would drop by and say hello!” he said raising out his hands excitedly. Now that he had a better look on Link he saw his new blue tunic and eyes went wide “where did you get that?” he asked breathless, to which Link held out his hand and pointed at the blue ring on his finger. Sidon moved his head closer to look at it, eyes wide then looking up at Link curiously “What does it do?”. Link just pointed at his shield and gave it a pat, Sidon interpreting it and then nodding “It gives defense? Interesting...through some type of magic perhaps like your boomerang?” the Zora pondered as he put his hand under his chin, Link shrugging with a smile to which the Zora chuckled once more “I guess you don’t care how it does something, only what it does.”

Link nodded and then eyes went wide as he remembered something. He placed his pack on the dusty dry ground and fumbled about in the bag, it clearly getting heavier and fuller by the day and Link lightly rubbed at his shoulder where a strap was, before reaching out the papers with the symbols on it. He pointed at the third one for Sidon then out at the lake, more specifically the walled structure in the middle of it, Sidon humming in response. “You think behind those walls is another dungeon? Hm yes...I’ve thought so too, seems much too suspicious to not be hiding something” he said running his finger over the symbol. “Now that I think about it...I think I may have spotted the entrance to the structure on the south side…” Sidon pointed out to Link to which he looked slightly confused. The Zora let out an amused huff and simply pointed downwards, it taking Link a few seconds to get it before eliciting a faint “ah!” and nodding; clearly directions as such were still trouble for him.

Link looked over at the structure and then down at his feet, before looking back at Sidon and shrugging, trying to imply ‘How will I get over there?’ to which Sidon thought to himself, humming once again. “Have you not encountered anything that could get you over there? They had to have built some way to get over to it in the past…” but in response Link quickly shook his head. The short silence was interrupted with Sidon’s faint chuckle which made link cock his head quizzically, “of course knowing you, if you had found something that did get you over there you’d already be in there slaying a dragon or other fowl beast” Link giving a faint giggle of his own with a grin and a nod. 

Sidon smiled in return at Link’s reaction, then turned to look back at the walled structure then back to Link. “Could you not swim across? I understand its too dangerous on your own but I could hel-” he was interrupted with a horrified look of Link as he shook his head furiously, before pointing at the water and shaking his head. “Ah...can’t swim, of course.” he said outloud, following up with “of course, I should have guessed that with how little he knows…” said quietly to himself.

Staring down at the dark deep blue, as if it would give him the answer, he caught a glimpse of his reflection, black eyes masked by a scarred face staring back at him and he shook his head quickly to smile up at Link again “P-Perhaps…” Sidon began as Link perked up curiously, an awkward pause hanging as Sidon was struggling to think of an idea, “I could carry you over? You’re rather small and seem light enough” he softly mused. Link let out a faint gasp and looked at Sidon large palm which he was opening and closing infront of him to practice grip, then back at the large deep lake that beheld them and shuddered.

The action must have been obvious to the zora as he frowned at Link, “Link...are you alright? He asked concerned to which the hylian weakly shook his head while pointing at the water, Sidon exhaling faintly. “I can...understand your fear of the water.” he began staring deep into Link’s dark eyes, “all you have seen from it is fear and death...we can wait and find another way. You can always come back later, there’s nothing saying this needs to be done right now” Sidon finished with a warm smile, but the determined, or some might say stubborn, look Link gave him in return told the zora that turning around was not going to happen.

Link liked to do things on his own and liked to do them as soon and quickly as possible. He had only known him for a week or so, but he had already caught on to that facet of his personality. Link pointed at the dungeon in insistence and Sidon nodded “Yes I know, you want to do it now.” he said softly “but it seems the only option we have for the time being is for me to help you across.” he gestured at his open palm once again and Link’s uncomfort began to rise again. “Link, if you agree to this I promise you I will protect you the whole way there, you have nothing to fear my little friend.” Sidon mustered up the warmest and encouraging smile he could, “it will be over before you know it!” he clenched his palm into a hopeful fist as he beamed at Link.

Sidon’s speech seemed to have lessened Link’s discomfort enough for him to vaguely consider it, but thoughts were clearly racing through his mind. Of what he did not know, but he had a guess that they were all thoughts of unpleasantness; drowning, a rogue zola appearing and attacking them, a bokoblin or octorock spotting them and pelting them with rocks and arrows... He was lost in thought but was brought back as Link did a small wave infront of his eyes to get his attention. Sidon shot up with a straight back, fully attentive as Link gave him a firm nod and pointed at Sidon’s hand.

Link climbed onto Sidon’s open palm which was now resting on the dusty earth, the boy resting on his knees and holding onto one of Sidon’s fingers with either hand. Sidon gave it a test and slowly raised Link up, the sudden movement making the boy jerk slightly in fear before stabilising, “Is this okay Link” Sidon asked him concerned and the hylian gave a nod. The zora twisted his hand so Link was facing him, the boy looking at him confused as he stared deep into his eyes, “Are you sure Link?” Sidon said worried. If there was a hint of doubt he would turn around and find some other way, he could tell that while Link was appearing to be strong, he noticed his faint glances of fear.

The hylian nodded quickly again and that was the last encouragement Sidon needed. “Alright, away we go then” he offered Link a small smile to try and calm him as the zora began to slowly wade through the water, raising his palm covered by Link up above the water. The journey was slow, methodical. Link wobbled and twitched occasionally in Sidon’s palm and he would stop to make sure Link was alright before continuing. Once they had reached round about the half way point the boy seemed to have calmed down and gotten used to the predicament somewhat, as the wobbling has slowed, the death grip on his two fingers told a different story however.

They were finally up at the big rocky walls, Sidon rounding a corner and finding the small entrance he has spoke of “Ah, there!” he said up to Link, pointing with his other hand and Link nodded eagerly. The rock walls had a small man made gap in them, it seeming to have been smoothed down for ease of entrance, however to Sidon’s light amusement the path seemed to only be large enough for an adult hylian to fit through. He would not be going in to the dungeon with Link, but even if he could fit through, its not like he would have that option. The zora placed his palm on the ground and tilted it forward, allowing Link to eagerly hop off and tap his feet on the ground. The action was a mix of testing to see if the ground was stable, and being happy to be on something solid again and it gave Sidon quite a chuckle, Link smiling up at him and gave him a small bow of thanks.

Sidon’s smile only widened as he returned the bow “Do not mention it my friend, you did very well!” he followed by clenching his not empty hand into a fist again. Link giggled faintly and took a few steps in past the wall, letting out a faint gasp and turning back to Sidon to quickly nod at him. “So there is a dungeon there?” he asked to confirm which was followed by another quick nod from Link. “Well, go on then! I will be waiting out here for you” Sidon said as he had rested his hands on one side of the wall and was doing his best to peek through the entrance, vaguely being able to make out a big grey structure with a large entrance that looked like a mouth. “You can do it!” Sidon smiled at the boy and he gave one final wave before running down its steps, disappearing into the darkness.

As Sidon waited for Link to re-emerge he found himself thinking of other, safer ways to carry Link across the water for the way back. The resting in his palm trick seemed to work fine as they had made it but it felt very precarious and Link clearly did not feel as safe as Sidon had wanted him to be. Perhaps standing on his shoulder and resting on his headcrest for support would be better? Or lying on his back with Link safely sitting on his chest? The more ideas Sidon came up with the more foolish he felt, emphasising it by resting his face in his hand. He had told Link he would protect him and keep him safe across the water, and yet the solution he came up with in the spur of the moment was perhaps one of the shakiest and unsafe ones he could.

He hoped Link would emerge soon, lest to stop his beating up of himself sooner.


	9. There's a number between 2 and 4?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link buys a new shield and finds the order in which he cleared his dungeons has been a bit off...

Well...his shield had finally had it. After a lifetime of service and a clearing of now four dungeons, it had reached its breaking point. The sound of metal clanging against the hard emerald stone floor filled the room of the dungeon Link found himself in, having thankfully defeated the creature guarding the triforce shard just before its untimely end. 

The creature was something the boy could not quite describe; it floated off the floor, four different shaped heads on each side of its round body, all with sharp teeth and one hell of a magical energy attack that they spit at him. Dodging the fireballs of the dragon were difficult enough but in this fight...he had to dodge four different malice blasts at once.

If Link was keeping track correctly his shield had been: burnt, stabbed, bashed, covered in acidic spit, beaten, bashed...wait he already said that, pelted with rocks, shot with arrows, scratched by bats, grabbed by big creepy floating hands, shunted by big metal trap blades, bombed and now finally which is what broke it to two pieces...shot by big energy balls.

Link sat crouched down on the tips of his feet, running his hand over the damaged exterior of the shield as he listed out all of those beatings his shield had taken and could not help but feel morose. That shield was the last thing left from his “old life”, it even had a name carved on it...not one he knew its origin of but it was now his and he took it as his proudly. It had been with him for as long as he could remember, before he had built his make shift home he had used it as a safety blanket or as a pillow (which he still did to Sidon’s surprise and slight horror).

Used it to carry apples and other food he found, bashed trees with it to get said apples before he found the axe, sometimes used it as a mirror if he was able to get it polished enough, as a shovel to dig out mushroom or a weak attempt to try and catch fish. He didn’t realise how often he had used it, but now that it was gone, it was like a part of him was missing. He also didn’t realise until thinking back over it again that everything he had thought about that has happened to his shield since he started this quest, in turn also happened to him. That’s when the pain began.

Searing, stinging pain. Running up from his hip all the way along his chest and right arm, that was holding the former shield. He fell to his knees and clutched his side instinctively, as if that would stop the pain, loud hisses and muffled wails of pain escaping his closed mouth. Turns out getting shot and hit by magical energy balls repeatedly really does a number on your body. It was excruciating. He tried to quickly pull himself up on his feet to make it to the room housing the triforce shard, but his progress was quickly stopped as he fell to the ground with another wail of pain.

Link decided that crawling along the floor would be best, on his hands and knees. He of course made sure to avoid using his pained right arm for support, using only his left, however each movement was far from easy or painless. Once he was finally at the glowing shard, squinting his eyes from its bright golden light, he reached out with his shaking beaten hand. The reach for the shard felt like years, pain shooting violently up from his fingertips until finally making contact with the miniature triangle. His whole body convulsed and a gasp escaped his lips as he was practically pulled onto his feet, energy and vitality rapidly refilling him until he was returned to his full strength, and then some.

Link let out a slow, pained sigh. Though the triforce shard had refilled his energy and given him new strength, he did not feel as powerful as he had with the previous shards. His wounds had been healed, but there was a lingering feeling...one he could not quite describe that something was just not quite fixed. He decided to shrug it off, readjusting what he had found in the dungeon safely to his back, before walking back in to the room that housed his broken shield. He gave it one last glance, crouching down to run his thumb over the loosely carved name emblazoned on its backside, and left without a second glance.

 

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The sound of rupees slamming on the table woke the blacksmith out of his small slumber as he shook his head roughly. The man rubbed his eyes with a groan, blinking for them to readjust then looking out ahead at what had disturbed him. Link stood, as tall and confidently as he could muster, infront of the man and pointed. First at the shield off to his side, made of bronze with a large red cross bolted along the front, then down to his rupee bag.

The man could not help but let out an amused huff, before counting the rupees out slowly. He placed each one on the flimsy wooden table, letting them drop with a faint clinking sound, as if to taunt Link; he did not budge his stance however. He knew he had enough. He did not know how to write, or spell, or read, or count...but he KNEW he had enough. Finally the man let the final shining ruby rupee fall to the table ontop of the small pile he had made and cracked a small smile. “Well kid...it’s yers now” he said with another amused huff and pulled the shield so it was now infront of Link.

He quickly grabbed it and fastened it to his arm, giving it a few testing shakes before nodding to the man and walking out of the dimly lit cave with a proud bounce in his step. The man watched the little hylian leave then let out a long sigh “Kid’s gunna get imself killed…”

 

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The sky was beginning to darken. The dusty cracked earth and brown dead trees slowly turning to black as the day began to fade. Sidon looked up at the sky and hummed, curious as to when Link would get back before glancing to his side. Off to the right of the fairy pond Sidon considered his home, Link had made his own little area. It didn’t consist of much, just a roughly made fireplace with a series of wooden sticks hanging off of it.

When Sidon had seen Link make it he had to admit he was baffled, not at what Link was doing as it was obvious to him. He had made a split to cook food over the fire. What did confuse him however, was how he knew to make it. He had seen from talking with Link and just general observation that Link did not know very much. He couldn’t even speak for Hylia’s sake! And yet, even though he should practically just be a cave-man, he had been able to set up a relatively functional cooking station.

His actual cooking skills were alot more questionable. Sidon wondered if Link knew there was food that wasn’t burnt to a charred black crisp, but he seemed to have some idea. At one point when Link actually had burnt some fish Sidon had brought to an inedible state, the little hylian looked upset and clearly knew he could not eat them. Sidon just told himself that if they ever found a remaining Hylian town or civilization of some kind (and by they he meant Link, as Sidon couldn’t go anywhere) hopefully they could teach Link how to cook.

As if the gods had heard his thoughts, in through the clearing walked a proud Link. His head held high, a bounce in his step, not a smile on his face but in his eyes. Sidon could not help but let out a gasp of surprise followed by a big beaming grin “Ah Link you have returned!”. The boy in question gave a firm nod to greet him. “How did the dungeon delving go? Have any other successes on your quest?” Sidon was just about to ask with his eyes closed and pleased, before was interrupted by a loud splash and was hit by small bits of water. His eyes shot open and looked to his side in shock only to see a small wooden raft floating next to him.

“Woah!” Sidon let out as he ran his hand along the raft’s edge, eyeing the rather simple construction of small tree logs tied together by some form of binding. “Well Link this is certainly some find!” he said with a smile before turning to the hylian with a intrigued look “Where did you get this from”. Link stepped closer, so he was right on the edge of the fairy pond and pulled out the paper with the symbols of the dungeons on it. 

He pointed at the third symbol, the other three having been crossed out by Link to signal their completion and Sidon looked confused. “In the third dungeon?” he asked bemused, “but you were there a few days ago! It’s where you got that ladder is it not?”. His question was answered as Link pointed to the 4th crossed out symbol, then down at the raft, Sidon noticing the expression on his face was that of...anger? Shame? 

The zora glanced back and forth from the symbol to the raft before it all clicked in his head “Ah I see...you were supposed to use that raft to get to the 4th dungeon correct” he said with his finger under his chin, Link giving him a weak nod. “Well...that explains why it was out so far in the lake and why there seemed to be no obvious way inside!” he said with a laugh, Link however still had his irritated expression. “Oh Link, don’t beat yourself up over this. We had no way of knowing…” Sidon said, trying to reassure Link. The hero had a conflicted look however, clearly trying, WANTING, to say something. Say everything that was on his mind, but he was unable to.

Sidon placed his hand on the shaking hylian’s shoulder and smiled “So we went about it differently to how the paper said. So what? You cleared both of those dungeons by yourself! It may not have been what was intended but you got the result you wanted, and you were the one to do it!”. Link was now looking down at the floor, his pointed out brown hair covering most of his face from view. “Only a clever, resourceful hylian like yourself would be able to go against what was asked and still complete the task with flying colours!” Sidon pumped his other fist and squeezed the hand on Link’s shoulder for emphasis. “You are the one gathering up the shards. You are the one who is saving the princess. You are the courageous one Link. You’re doing what no one else can and no one else WILL.”

Sidon let his words sink in, Link still looking down at the floor for the entirety of his speech. The boy suddenly clenched his fists, looked up at the zora straight in the eyes and gave him a smile, which only made Sidon smile even more in return. “There you go! You are amazing Link, never doubt yourself for a second!” Sidon flourished with another clenching of his fist which made Link let out a faint giggle, it warming Sidon’s heart whenever he was able to make Link happy.

For the next hour the two just lounged about. Sidon floating on his back looking up at the darkening night sky, and Link slumped in the corner of his area. Each time he returned he would pile up all of the gear he had found into one area, and noticed it was getting bigger as the days went on. It was at this moment Link realised he had yet to show off his new shield to his friend. The hylian shot up, it startling Sidon slightly as he pulled the shield off of the pile and sat down at the edge of the pond.

Sidon righted himself so he was now facing Link and he had the new shield thrust infront of him, making his gasp. “You got it?” he said amazed and Link popped his head from one side to smile and nod proudly. Sidon’s chuckle filled the air “I’m so proud of you Link! I knew you could do it!” he said clenching both his fists together excitedly and Link’s smile grew larger, though Sidon’s joy was interrupted by a sudden thought. “...and your old shield?” he asked curiously. Link’s smile faded and he glanced into the water, Sidon immediately feeling guilty for ruining his rare happiness and hated that he would do that to Link.

The hero held his hands out flat and pushed either one together so their fingertips were touching eachother, before pulling them downwards and appart, ‘It broke’ he meant to imply. Sidon let out a saddened exhale “I’m so sorry Link” he said, to which Link shrugged weakly. He knew that shield was special to his hylian friend, and he would try and make Link feel better about it any way he could, especially after ruining his good mood.

“While that old shield…” Sidon began “was with you all of your life, this new shield is yours. You worked for it, earned the rupees, and bought it all for yourself. I know nothing could replace your old one as it was special to you, but this one is all YOURS. You can do whatever you want with it!” Sidon said with a nod, taking note of the big red cross along its front. Link took a few seconds to digest it and nodded with a smile. Seeming pleased enough, Link began to turn away to put his shield back in the pile before Sidon had an idea.

“Link wait!” he said reaching out his hand, the boy turning back slightly confused. “Would you...like me to carve your name into this shield? Like your old one had” Sidon said with a hopeful smile. Link’s eyes lit up and he nodded frantically, thrusting the shield giddily into Sidon and practically jumping on the spot. Sidon grunted at the force but it did not stop his chuckle as he placed the shield down at the side of the pond, Link quickly scurrying along to be next to him.

Sidon took one of his sharp nails that he occasionally sharpened and gave it a quick blow before pressing down on the inside of the shield, just at the edge of it and began carving. The loud scraping and squeaking sounds filled the night air as Link watched on in wonder, Sidon effortlessly cutting through the metal as if it was butter. What Link did not see as the overwhelming fear that filled Sidon’s mind, telling him constantly not to mess up, to look strong for Link.

Once he finished it he gave his handiwork a final blow to get rid of the shavings and let Link see. The small excited grin that had been on his face grew until he was practically beaming. Written as if it was calligraphy, as if it had been passed down from the goddess herself, was his name. Big, grand, curving letters. Link was so happy he was almost shaking. This was more than what Sidon had wanted, Link shifting in place as he tried to find some way to try and thank Sidon before just throwing himself at the Zora roughly and trying to hug around his neck. 

Sidon gasped out in shock as the boy hugged him, not being sure what to do as if he hugged back as he worried he might crush the poor boy. He then settled for placing one of his large hands on the back of Link, exhaling softly with a faint “You’re welcome.”


	10. Riddles and Blankets.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link seeks help from his local Zora in solving cryptic riddles...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo I've wanted to write about that damn blanket since I thought of the idea but never really had a chance to...so finally done it!

Sidon’s life really had changed recently. His days went from being purely focused on survival, on making it through to the next, to now that just being a small aspect of his day. Still an important one nonetheless, but his life meant more now. Days were now filled with thoughts of the outside world, of other hylians or creatures roaming the land...but mostly of Link. He wondered where Link was, what he was getting up to, when he would come “home” per say. He would never show it to Link but everytime he left to go claim a new dungeon worry and terror wracked his mind.

Whenever he saw Link heave all of his equipment on himself and lumber off into adventure...he could not understand how the little hylian was capable of it. Link had become the one source of happiness and camaraderie in the Zora’s long life, his shining beacon of hope who would rid hyrule of darkness; but who did Link have? Once his thoughts cleared and his mind entered back into this world, he noticed he had been idly playing with a fairy between his fingers, it swishing and swaying about playfully which made him smile.

The fairies too had always been there for him, for as long as he could remember. His lifespan and memory were long, much longer than the hylians that inhabited this land. Yet as far back as his mind could reach, his first memories contained those fairies. Nursing him back to health, providing a safe haven. He had his whole life to thank for them. He rubbed the small fairies hair with his one finger which made it elicit a faint giggle before flying off into the sky. Just in time too as he hear the clanging of gear and shuffling of feet he now recognized immediately; Link.

Around the corner came said Hylian, his blue tunic slightly smudged with dirt and wearing an expression of confusion. “Link it’s you! Welcome back Hero!” Sidon said excitedly as the hylian drew nearer, he however did not react. Sidon stood, hoping Link would snap out of it but as he saw it not happening any time soon he waved his hand out infront of the boy’s face and whistled faintly “Hello, Link?”. This finally did the trick as Link stopped in place and flinched, before shaking his head and giggling faintly. “Everything alright Link?” Sidon cocked his head to the side as he rested his hands on the edge of the pond.

Link nodded with a huff, thinking to himself a second more and thrust some paper into Sidon chest. The zora never quite got used to Link’s ever present bluntness, in fact he was thinking it was getting worse the more Link opened up to him...but he did not mind it in the slightest. He actually found it quite charming. A deep chuckle followed by a clearing of his throat rumbled from the zora, clutching the papers in his hand and righting them upwards so he could read. “So what have we here…” he began “a new list of 20 more dungeons to solve” Sidon said with a grin as he looked over at Link who went wide eyed at the suggestion.

Sidon looked over the two pages, them both tattered and smudged, one beige and the other brown. He decided to pick the beige first, mumbling the words to himself as he read them. “Up, up the mountain ahead…” he said, pausing before rereading it. Then again. Then again. Clearly getting more baffled as he read it, before looking back to Link for his input. “Who exactly gave you this?” questioned Sidon once again tilting his head. Link placed his finger to his chin as he pondered how he would explain to the shark man.

He hunched over, held out both of his arms and made a faint groan. “...a ghost!?” Sidon asked in shock, the answer being so unexpected to him he laughed. Hard. So hard he almost fell over but quickly righted himself just before he did. Sidon folded his arms in fake irritation but he was secretly overjoyed at the reaction he had on the hylian. He had never heard Link laugh like that, only faint giggles and smiles. If he was feeling glum before all of it was washed away.

Link shook his head quickly with a smile before thinking once again. He resumed his hunched position, mimed long hair with his hands, then wringed them together making a much more high pitched groan. Sidon squinted as his brain began to work. “A…” Sidon began to think, Link continuing to mime it out, getting more desperate but not being able to stop himself from smiling aswell. Finally Sidon understood, raising his fists into the air “An old woman!” he said hopefully earning him a frantic nod from Link.

With that finally sorted Link sat down next to the pond, Sidon scooting his body closer. “So an old woman told you this riddle” stated the shark, Link nodding along “and you cant seem to figure out its meaning?” followed by another nod from the boy. Sidon read it over one last time “Well...was there a mountain nearby her?” he asked inquisitively. Link thought back to when he received the paper.

There may have been a mountain but the whole area was covered with rock. One portion however did have a staircase looking structure, but each time Link tried to climb it he would end up facing an area that looked identical to the one he just climbed from, as if he was going in circles. He half heartedly nodded, Sidon taking note of it before continuing “Why not do as the letter says then? Go up the mountain?. Link groaned.

He tried to the best of his ability to explain what happened when he tried to climb it in the past, and thankfully to him it seemed to stump Sidon as much as it did himself. That was until Sidon straightened his back, a curious expression on his scarred face. “Why not just keep going up? He suggested. Link could only look back at him baffled. Just try it again? He already had! Noticing his frustration Sidon smiled calmly at him “if it does not work you can always come back here and we will figure it out as always”. Sidon’s words did help, but the frustration remained...he thought giving his plan a go would be better than nothing, though it wasn’t exactly elaborate.

“Now...onto the other?” Sidon asked to which Link nodded firmly. Guess that plan was good enough for now. Sidon read over the directions on the paper, his happy expression clearly morphing into doubt as it contained something Link still very much struggled with. “Go North, West, South, West…” Sidon said slowly before quickly finishing with “to the forest of maze.”. Even with the compass he had received from the dungeon ages back, he still struggled with its intended directions.

“Besides the slight grammatical error” Sidon pointed out “this should be simple enough for you to follow!” he said encouragingly with a toothy grin. Link sat up in surprise, scooting closer to the Zora. “That compass of yours always points north. The other directions, South and West, are clearly marked on it.” he began as Link quickly caught on and fumbled the compass out of his pack, Sidon running his finger over the lettering. Link however did not look encouraged. 

“Think of North, the N, as up okay?” he began, looking over at the hylian for confirmation to which he slowly nodded. “South is down, and West is left.” he continued, Link nodding again. “So, where you need to go is” Sidon placed his finger on the N, then moved it to each corresponding direction “Up, left, down, left.” he said slowly, following it up with a quick “North, west, south, west”. Link slowly processed that information, rubbing his forehead as he glanced down with intent at the compass. He repeated the actions Sidon had showed him, moving his finger from the N to the W then to the S. He cleared his throat, straightened up his back and confidently pointed at the exact and correct directions. 

“Yes thats it!” Sidon yelped out excitedly, it causing Link to startle but also smile back at him proudly. “You’ve got this Link! If you ever need help again I will always be here” Sidon placed his large scaled hand around Link’s and closed it around the compass. “Now rest, you look like you need it” he said with a chuckle and almost as if on command Link just collapsed next to him.

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It had been a few hours or so as Link set out to solve the looping mountain riddle. Sidon had absolutely no clue as to whether or not it would work, however he knew even if it wouldn't Link would solve it eventually. While he couldn’t even speak or follow the directions on his compass, he did have great ingenuity. He had an image in his head of Link literally climbing the side of the mountain if the stairs trick didn’t work, and he would not be half surprised if that is how Link were to solve it. Though thankfully this riddle was much simpler than the other. The riddle of the maze woods...that would be much more arduous. 

He had all the faith in the world Link could do it, however it would not surprise him if it would take him multiple attempts or he would come back to try and get help from Sidon again. Not that he minded. He loved it more than anything. Getting Link to laugh like he had...it made him forget the horror and misery that scours the land. That hangs over the heads of its inhabitants like a storm cloud...though even that would be welcome as it would be a deviation from the constant orange of the sky.

Again almost as if on cue, as if he could sense when the zora was getting dower, Link appeared with a big grin on his face. A grin and a flute. “Ah Link...well?” Sidon said with a knowing smile. He knew it had worked, he just wanted confirmation from the hero, him giving a quick nod. “Excellent! I honestly didn’t know if it would work but knowing you, you’d find a way in that dungeon one way or another!” he pumped out his hand into a fist and shot the hylian a toothy grin. Link smiled in kind and pointed at Sidon, as if to say ‘It’s because of you I solved it’ which made the Zora’s smile give way to faint bashfulness. “Oh Link, I gave nothing but advice...you’re the one who conquered the dungeon! And a new item you got from it I see” said Sidon curiously, pointing at the flute that had been tucked into the belt of Link’s blue tunic.

To cover up his embarrassment from the compliment, Link quickly took the flute into his hand and blew into it, a loud piercing sound flooding the air. The sound made Sidon wince at its pitch, instinctively placing his hands on either side of his ear fins. “W-wondrous!” Sidon said with a smile, however his hint of pain not being masked as well as he hoped “What does this one do then?” he asked to which Link went wide eyed. Then, a sly grin formed. He shook his head ‘no’ then gestured with his hands to imply ‘later’. Sidon could not help his pout which only made Link smile more. Why wouldn’t the little hylian show him now? Was it too powerful? He had to know…

It was getting late however. The telltale sign of night was rearing its ugly head and he could see how exhausted Link looked, behind his prideful smile. Link collapsed in his usual corner of the pond, a fish already on the spit as he got its fire going, the flickering orange light soon being the only light source around as it bounced off the water’s surface. As grim as this world and his situation was, Sidon could not help but look at the dancing fire, the look of looming hunger illuminated on Link’s face and feel happiness. The fairies did produce their own white and golden lights, but they did not seem to come out at night very often. The only thing that could illuminate the area even more were the triforce shards! Speaking of which…

“...if that was the 5th dungeon” Sidon broke the silence as Link looked over to him inquisitively “that must mean you have 5 triforce shards correct?”. Link went wide eyed and roughly turned to his pack. He hoisted it off the ground with a groan and ran it closer to Sidon, dropping it down roughly and pulling out bits and pieces to get to the shards. As the first one was removed from the bag it was as if the world stopped, all sound dimmed. The golden light pierced the darkness and shimmered brightly, Sidon being overwhelmed by its wonder.

Everything returned as Link began removing the other shards, placing them gingerly on the blanket Sidon had next to the pond. As he placed them, they were positioned into a shape, which was finally made clear once the 5th and final shard was laid down; half of a triangle. Sidon stared, eyes wide and mouth agape. “W-wow” he said faintly and out of breath, the golden shards shimmering against his wet scarred scales. “You have half. More than half actually!” he stated, Link pulling out the sheet of paper with the dungeon symbols on it to check what Sidon was saying was correct. “T-they’re astonishing…” The zora could not take his eyes away from them.

Link was reluctant in placing the shards back into his pack due to the incredible look Sidon had on his face, but he did not want to draw too much attention to them. Once he did Sidon tried his best to hide a pout but Link still spotted it, giving him a small smile. The bag was placed back to its usual spot and Link sat at the fire, spinning the cooking fish intently...his attention being brought to the faint red and silver that caught his eye. Sidon’s blanket.

The Zora had rested his large head against his folded arms which were resting ontop of said blanket. Link did not want to disturb him but his curiosity got the better of him. He had seen it for a while now but never thought to ask about it, clearing his throat in hopes it would get Sidon’s attention. The zora faintly lifted his head and blinked slowly “Yes Link?” he said attentive. The hero smiled at Sidon ever present politeness and then pointed down at the blanket. The zora did not understand at first, glancing down at his chest “The scars?” he stated curiously and Link quickly shook his head, pointing more confidently at the shining red and silver garment.

Sidon looked down at his resting hands then perked up “Oh!” placing the blanket in his one hand and lifting it to his eye level “you mean this?” earning him a firm nod. Sidon opened his mouth to speak but he could not think of anything to say. He exhaled slowly through his nose and cracked a warm smile “I...don’t know much about it.” he said slowly, looking back at Link. “It has just always been with me. Since I was a young one...like yourself” he said with a chuckle which made the hylian in turn go wide eyed. “Yes I was a boy once too” he followed with another grin. “I like to think it came from my family” there was a pause as Sidon thought to himself. “I never knew them...who they were. Where they came from. If they even exist at all.” he stated slowly, glancing from it back to Link who he noticed had lowered his gaze and was staring down at his feet. He knew exactly what Link was thinking about.

“It’s kept me safe. Kept me warm.” he stated fondly “even through my mainly scuffles its always been there...and of course luckily for me it is waterproof so it does not get ruined by the fairy pond” he finished with a chuckle, but Link was still looking downwards. They sat in silence, Sidon thinking of all manner of things to say to Link but he could not or did not want to say anything. Let the hylian think through whatever was ailing him. The silence was broken as Link removed the fish from over the fire and placed it down next to him to cool, before glancing back at the large zora.

He shrugged, pointed at him, then the pond, then to the entrance to the area; ‘Why can’t you leave?’. Sidon did not need time to interpret. He understood immediately. The shark man let out a sigh and placed his elbows against the ground, resting his chin in his scaled palms. “I’m surprised you haven’t asked me sooner” he said, a hint of sadness in his voice to which Link already regretted asking the question. “When I was younger I was...attacked.” he very slowly and deeply began “Not like the battled I had before then, or ones like this” he said pointing to some small scars on his crest “this was...bigger. I do not remember what creature it was. All I remember is lighting. Electric yellow sparks”. Link had unintentionally leaned forwards, but Sidon did not notice as he was now looking downwards as Link had.

“I had walked this land, seen its creatures and areas...but this fight stopped my expeditions. My…” he stopped, clearing his throat to continue as he straightened his back to try and appear more confident “my legs were hit. Badly. So much so that now I...well I can swim just fine thanks to the fairies, but outside of the pond…” he paused again, his hands clenched into fists as he was getting frustrated with himself “Walking is too painful. I can only take a few steps before the pain just too much for me to bear” he finally finished, letting out a long heavy sigh as if that had weighed him down for decades.

His feeling of joy of finally sharing that information with someone was replaced with crushing guilt. Why was he telling Link this? He doesn’t care. He needs to be Link’s symbol of positivity in these times and yet here he was showing weakness and bringing him down. Link doesn’t need to hear about his troubles! Link already has enough of his own to deal with and he’s only a child!

Sidon’s internal bashing of himself was interrupted as he felt a hand on his crest. The zora twitched and slowly turned his head to face upwards at Link who was looking down at him worried, lightly rubbing his hand over a scar before shooting him a small comforting smile. It brought Sidon back to earth as he deeply chuckled and shook his head “My apologies Link, I got...caught up in my memories” the zora said embarrassed, Link’s concerned expression remaining everchanging. He moved his hand to his shoulder and put up a weak smile followed by a small thumbs up which had the desired reaction of making Sidon smile in turn.

Link began to remove his hand but as he was about to turn away he was suddenly and rather roughly pulled into a hug against the large zora. Sidon’s head was almost the size of Link’s entire body so it felt a bit constricting to him to say the least, but he let his friend ride out his emotions, rubbing at his shoulder once again. They stood there for a while as the fire continued to dance and crackle on behind them, the calm silence interrupted as Sidon finally sniffled faintly and then sighed, releasing the hylian.

“L-Link again I apologize fo-” Sidon began but he was interrupted as Link gave him a look that he was fine. He gave him a smile, a firm nod, then turned back around to the fireplace and sat down to eat his now rather cold fish. Link didn’t mind though; it was still edible food at the end of the day so he was far from complaining. Sidon sat in silence, watching Link before glancing down at his blanket. He held it up in his hand again, admiring the intricate silver weaving and closed his eyes. Clenching it in his hand, he bolted his eyes open with a grin towards Link. “Say there hero” Sidon said almost theatrically “If you manage to solve that Maze Wood riddle” he almost winced at the wording but did not stop in his theatrics “I will bestow upon to you this blanket.” he finished with a toothy grin.

Link began to form a look of horror and was ready to react but Sidon raised his palm “You don’t need to worry Link, I do not have much use for it anymore. I outgrew its use as a blanket long ago, as you can maybe tell.” he said gesturing at his large form for emphasis which did elicit a chuckle out of the boy. “I’ve seen you shivering at night, you need it more than I do. Not only that, you deserve it more than I do. For how much you have helped me and been here for me...its the least I can give to you” Sidon held out the blanket towards Link, who eyed it up and down before looking back at the zora.

He was trying to look for hesitation, second thoughts, even a hint of them and Link would decline but he saw none. He rose to his feet and took it in his small roughed up hands. It was insanely soft, practically the softest thing he had ever felt in his life. So soft infact he unintentionally let out a gasp, and wanted to wrap it all around himself immediately...but he stopped himself. It didn’t feel right. This was Sidon’s! Since he was a child he had it, this couldn’t just be his now. The zora saw this hesitation however, holding up his palm again “Link you don’t need to worry. I promise I have no use for it anymore and it could actually help you!” he said hopefully but still all he saw was hesitation and refusal. He looked Link deep into his eyes and squinted them “If not for yourself, if you do not feel worthy of it...at least for me then. Do it for me, as nothing would make me happier”

Link hesitated once more, but closed his eyes and nodded at Sidon’s final words, thinking it over for a few beats more and then quickly wrapping it around himself. Or at least attempted to; the blanket was actually rather large, deceptively so. A deep chuckle rumbled from the shark’s chest before he picked the blanket up and wrapped it around Link “There, hope it makes your nights more comfortable.” He said warmly, knowing all the well Link’s nights had consisted of waking up constantly and staring up at the sky. He wondered how much sleep Link had actually gotten, if any at all…

Link had a sheepish grin plastered on his face and was rapidly overcome by exhaustion, slowly lumbering over to his corner before falling on his pile of stuff. Sidon looked in worry and began to move to his area but Link lazily raised his arm and waved it to indicate he was fine. The zora didn’t believe him but let him be, once again letting out a chuckle and seeing Link doze off before his eyes. A deep sigh came crashing out of Sidon. He had been so weak, so selfish...hopefully this was a way he could pay back to Link for his attitude. “Good night my friend” Sidon said faintly before slowly sinking into his pond, shutting his eyes as he let sleep overcome himself too.


	11. Maze Wood and what lies beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link enters the Maze Wood. Can he solve its riddle and find his way out?

Link arose from his slumber with a deep groan, still feeling the softness and warmth of the blanket around him. The darkness of night was slowly fading into the faint early morning orange, with a cool wind blowing. He wanted to stay bundled up there forever but he knew he had a mission, and he could sleep once he was done. Groaning once again as he sat up, his eyes still groggy and giving them a rub. The hylian looked over at the fairy pond, Sidon being deep under its depths as two fairies danced lightly along the surface, their faint shimmering white light moving across the calm reflection.

He focused back on himself and tensed, already dreading the feeling that was about to hit him as he closed his eyes and threw the blanket off himself. Cold. Very VERY Cold. Was it always this cold? A faint ‘eep’ escaped the hero’s lips as the chilling morning air hit him, the shivering of his limbs already beginning but he did not stop to notice them. Checking his boots, putting on his pointed blue hat, he began to put on the rest of the gear he had found on his journey: Sword, magic boomerang, bow, arrows, shield, potions, bombs, raft, ladder, flute and pack housing the 5 triforce shards.

He gave his belt one final tug to check it was secure and as it was to his liking he nodded and began to step, only to remember the blanket. It was almost double his size. Link really wished he could wear it around himself as a scarf or a cape, but due to its size if he were to use it like that...he’d just end up tripping over it constantly. With a reluctant sigh, he held its softness close one last time and shoved it into his back, setting off on his journey. What he did not notice in his haste was one of the triforce shards which fell out his pack…

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The Maze Wood was not very far away, only a few minutes walk from the pond with some admittedly hearty and armed to the teeth bokoblins, but they were not the hero’s worry. He slayed them with relative ease, blocking their arrows and spears as they were met in turn by a magic boomerang and bombs to the face, followed by the usual purple smoke. As Link neared the wood’s entrance he shuddered, the dark twisted trees already giving off the impression that this was no ordinary forest.

He swallowed hard, adjusted his pack and strode forwards; he knew he could do it, Sidon said so! And yet as the fog closed in, the twisting trees seemingly blocking the path behind him, he felt fear wrack his body. He could do this...right? Just as the darkness was beginning to overtake him, the trees growing faces with sharp pointed teeth and eyes cutting through the fog, watching his every move, he remembered. The compass.

He quickly fumbled for his pockets, jamming his hand in until it grasped the circular metal and pulling it out triumphantly. He saw the shaky red pointed triangle pointing to his right, glancing over to see a gap in the seemingly endless forest. As the hylian walked over to it, he ran over what Sidon had told him one last time “Up, left, down, left. North, west, south, west”. He spun the contraption in his hand, turning his body for confirmation, but the arrow stood true pointing in the same direction. ‘That is up’ he thought to himself, and not a second later he marched with purpose through the path.

Link followed the directions to the letter, trying to block out the towering trees and foreboding fog, just focusing on the compass in his small hand. First going North, then West. Two parts down, two to go. The woods however had no sign of change, it all looked like the same single set of trees passing by in an endless cycle. As if he was walking around in circles with no hope of an exit in sight, but he pushed on. South, three done, only West left.

The hylian picked up the pace, the long stretching woods passing him by faster and faster until in the very far off distance he swore he could see something. Nothing exact, just a haze of shadows and colours, but it was something. Something different. That was all he needed to run. He stashed the compass back into its pocket, gripped the straps of his pack and ran as fast as he could towards the figure. It grew larger and larger, the end of the maze wood being in sight!

Then, the fog stopped.

Link adjusted his eyes and found himself in a large clearing, the familiar dusty ground and brown sturdy rocks being an almost welcome sight, the sky as bright and orange as ever. His moment of peace and happiness was interrupted however at the sound of hooves pushing up the ground. Not a second was wasted, his sword and shield ready for a fight as he scanned his potential opponent. What was it? Octorocks, Bokoblins, Zola...he could handle them! What stared back at him however was new. Big. Furry. Brandishing two large swords in either hand. The body of a humanoid, the face of a lion and the lower half of a horse. The creature caught Link’s eyes and snarled, followed by an ear piercing roar. A Lynel, and he was not alone.

One more of his kind, and two who were even bigger, with dark blue fur to contrast their brethren's brown. The one who roared threw a spear it had nestled on its side, Link clumsily dodging it, but leaving him fully open for its next attack. The attack came in the form of a charge, snarling with its large sharp teeth bared at him, using its hands on the ground to gain even more speed. It was too fast for the child. He managed to block with his shield, but the creature still being at least 10 times larger than him, the force of the attack took him off his feet.

Link yelped in fear as he flew through the air, slamming to the ground roughly and tumbling along its uneven surface. The slightly dirty blue tunic now covered in a layer of beige and brown, to hide the cuts he had received. No time to inspect them however as the beast was readying another spear from its side. He was too injured to move, he thrust his shield infront of himself and held on to its grip with all of his might, the carving of his named catching his eye before the impact.  _ THUM SNAP _ the spear crashed against the metal, it jolting the hero back but as he moved his head to the side to inspect the damage, the spear the creature had thrown was in pieces.

The Lynel must have noticed this as another rumbling roar echo’d across the sky, but Link had found an opening. He stood, keeping his hunched over stance behind his shield as he ran in its direction.  _ THUM SNAP _ another spear clashed with the bronze as shards flew either side of him, continuing to charge until the Lynel’s hooves were in sight. Link looked at its shadow on the dirt, it raising one of its swords only to slam it roughly down in his direction. He braced and thrust his shield up to meet the sword, a loud clash and bright sparks emanating from the impact. The Lynel in turn grunted in shock before being met by a flury of sword strikes to its belly. It tried to fight back, swiping with its other sword but it too was blocked, until it’s deathly wail filled the air followed by the telltale purple smoke.

Link stood panting, shaking, but triumphant in his victory. That was also when he remembered that there were in fact other Lynel’s there. The other brown Lynel roared and tried just charging at the boy, seeing its spears were ineffective however Link was able to side step it and slice at its feet. The large muscle bound mass tumbling across the ground, its hooves desperately trying to find grip, but it was too late for the creature as once it was almost ready to get up a sword was lodged into its skull.

The final two blue Lynel’s did not take the one by one strategy the others had, these were clearly much smarter and tougher than their brown counterparts. They stood, pacing in place, as if they were wolves eyeing down their prey. Black beady eyes following Link’s every step, every shift of dirt under his boots. The hero would have to think of a plan to try and defeat them, as sheer brute force probably would not work as it had on the previous two.

He thought in his head of his items, putting together which could be followed up by which before he had his plan formulated with a faint grin. He stared down one on the left, it gripping its two swords tightly either side, flinched as if he was going to attack it, then turned to the other. He unholstered his boomerang, throwing it in angle so it hit both creatures across the body, and as they were ready to counter attack their feet were frozen in place. Their heavy sword swings clearly missing and leaving them wide open, a chance Link was not going to miss.

Snatching the boomerang out of the air, he lit and threw a bomb followed by another at the left. The creature tried to run but it would not budge, it desperately trying to unholster its spears but was not quick enough as its vision was filled with red. Black smoke clouded the land, the lone blue Lynel roaring and swiping through the dark, it clearing the smoke just enough for Link to see his target. He closed his eye, lined up his target and shot two arrows into its head, it screaming out in pain. As it tried to remove the arrows, successfully doing so with one, it was followed by Link kicking himself off of the belly of the beast and slamming the front of his shield into its face. The arrow that was left was impaled into the monster’s skull, it slumping over and exploding into smoke as Link’s boots hit the ground.

He stood still, panting, quickly glancing over either shoulder to see if any more Lynel’s or what else had appeared...but there was nothing. Silence. The Maze wood now behind him he let out a small chuckle before collapsing on the spot.

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One red potion later and Link was back on his feet, making his way through the new valley he found himself in. The almost comforting brown rocks from the Lynel infested path of before made way to grey. Old rock’s and grey dusty earth. He looked around, wondering why this area of all areas looked like this, before coming upon a staircase. It too looked like the rest of the area, old, ruined, not too uncommon for the land of Hyrule but this set especially Link could tell was old. He could bet that even before Ganon took over the world it would have been ancient. However along with that thought came a slowly rising feeling of dread. Fear. Similar to what he had felt in the Maze Wood.

He made his way to the top of the stairway, lightly tripping half way through as the age of the steps was confirmed to him first hand as one of them crumbled away below his boot. The sight that greeted him...well it confused him. But he knew. He knew exactly what it was. Unfamiliar, unknown. Yet oh so familiar to him, and all of Hyrule; A graveyard. As far as his childhood eyes could see, were headstones. All the same shape, faded white marble with big blue crosses adorned on the front, much like his shield. There must be at least a hundred of them.

There was a path to his right which he began making his way too, yet as he did he could not help but stop at one of the graves. He noticed in the sea of similar headstones, a few irregular ones dotted the clearing. These were of a much simpler make, a grey flat stone with names carved into them. They seemed to have been made in a hurry, as some were slanted, some which had been busted in half. This was the world Link lived in, nothing but death and memories of a world that once was. This was all just a visual representation of that, of all the lives that were lost due to the might of Ganon. The beast king. It was why he had to be stopped.

Crouching down at one of the less elegant graves, he ran his finger over the name hastily scratched into the stone. He tried his hardest to read it, to see if he could at all make out anything it said. It was to no avail however, as it may as well have just been blank. His shield caught his eye once more, the elegant carving of his name done by the Zora sitting proudly above the guard, however the beginnings of his smile were wiped away as he spun his shield and once again saw the same cross that surrounded him. Swarmed him. 

He almost dropped his shield at the realisation. The shape of his shield, its marking, his name carved into it...maybe he too would end up like the many that died here. His shield he earned all on his own, just being used as a makeshift headstone… That could have been him fighting those Lynels. Or getting lost in the woods. At any point in his journey, he could have just been one name among the list of many, one more body to all to the mass of dead.

Link let out a need exhale and hoisted his shield on his back, getting the thing out of his sight and the thought out of his mind. Maybe he would die fighting Ganon...but at least he would have tried. He would have fought his hardest to try and restore Hyrule to an age of peace. He was now at the clearing and was greeted with a small valley, the brown rocks that dotted the land once again showing their head walling off either side of the path. Link trudged down it, catching sight of another staircase to his left, taking pause at the hope that there wouldn’t be another graveyard at the top of it. Hyrule was a land of death, but getting a visual reminder like that...only be greeted by another one if not an even bigger one...it would not help his mental state.

Thankfully once he made it to the top he let out a gasp followed by a relieved sigh, no graveyard. Something even better, a Dungeon! He pulled out the symbol paper, glancing down at the 6th symbol and smiled triumphantly as he saw the exact same symbol atop the entrance. Old statues of soldiers stood by either side of each dungeon he had come across. Tall, armour clad with large shields made for an imposing and impressive image, and each time Link saw them they made him feel uneasy. After seeing the field of graves from before though, these statues were made of the same white marble with the same blue crosses on their shields. Most of those graves must have been soldiers then...perhaps people who died fighting ganon, or ones from the age before? The same as the old steps he had risen from.

He shook his head, no point on focusing on the past. The dungeon ahead of him and the next triforce shard was all that mattered. He drew his sword and readied his shield, taking the slow dark steps into the maw of the dungeon, wondering what would face him this time…

The past didn’t matter he thought himself. The past is long gone...all that matters now is the present he was living in. The one he would make better! Or at least die trying...


	12. YOU DARE HURT MY FRIEND

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has conquered the 6th dungeon but his pride is cut short as a horrifying sound.

Link emerged from the dungeon triumphant. The magical rod he had acquired from the dungeon safely strapped to his back next to his bow, and clutching the 6th triforce shard in his hand, a big smile on his young dirt covered face. He wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his brown shirt and breathed in deeply, releasing it and opening his eyes to survey the world then glanced down to the shard in his palm. Just as each shard before it had done, he felt more powerful, full of vigor. The hylian lightly chucked it in the air for it to land softly back onto his palm, feeling proud of himself. 6 shards down, only two left and then he would be ready!

...then he heard a scream.

Echoing loudly through his ears, as if it had stretched across the whole land, a scream filled with pain. Horror. Sadness. It stopped him in his place, his whole body standing still and eyes going wide. He had never heard the sound before, yet it shook him to his very core. The hero knew exactly what made that noise, and fear wracked his body at the thought. Unable to move, frozen in his state of horror, another scream echoed across the land. Filled with even more pain and anguish, Link was snapped out of it and sprang into action. His brief happy innocence wiped away with a fierce look of determination.

He thought through his options, how he would get there to help the quickest. Going through his options, simply running there, climbing the mountains in his path, clearing a path with his bombs or the magic rod...his best and simplest option was nestled safely in his belt at his waist; the magical flute. Link pulled it out and went to blow into it, now regretting with all of his life that he had not practiced more as his previous few uses with it had left him unsuccessful. That or when it did work, stranded in unfamiliar locations. 

He had no other choice at this point however, he quickly blew into the instrument, his fingers taking over as if being controlled by something else. A six note tune being played out, sounding almost graceful, as Link looked around himself in panic. ‘Where is it!?’ he thought to himself as he glanced either side. The boy tilted his head, giving his ears more leverage to hear. Waiting expectantly, but only hearing the faint afternoon air. He was ready to give up, it hadn’t worked. He would have to run there, and by then it would be too late. Just as he was about to try it a second time he heard a rumbling coming from his right. Link looked over quickly, and lo behold there it was; a tornado.

Hoping it would at least work like it had before, Link braced himself before being swiftly flung up into the tornado, and carried across the land. As if he was riding a steed made of the wind itself. As if only a few seconds had passed he felt himself land faintly on the ground, steadying himself then taking in his surroundings. Spinning around once he immediately realised he was back at the dungeon he had found the flute in, Level 5. He stomped the ground in frustration, this just made him further away from where he wanted to be! He gave the whistle another blow, being once again whisked up into the tornado and plopped back down. Back at Level 6, he was glad he was at least closer technically but his frustration grew even more.

Link tried facing the dungeon instead of being away from it, gave the whistle a quick blow and was spun away to a pond with a bokoblin patrolling it. The creature shrieked at the sight of Link and before it could even raise its weapon it had an arrow in its face. The hylian had traveled this land enough to know that he was right next to the red zora’s pond, which entail made the screams of pain go from echoed sounds in the distance to completely filling his pointed ears. He broke into a sprint, his sword clutched in one hand and the magic rod in the other, his mind simultaneously filling with thoughts of dread and attempts to push those thoughts out.

Once he reached the valley before the pond he was greeted with just a sea of bokoblins. As if every single one around these brown woods had converged here. Link felt heart bubble in rage at the incessant shrieking and sheer number of them and let out a loud shout of his own to get their attention. About half turned while the others kept their ascent on the pond. Link snarled and swung the magic rod, blue waves of light shooting out of its blue orbed tip and sending a few of the bokoblins flying. Before they had even hit the ground he had closed the distance and was feverishly swinging at the mass of them, the sound of clashing metal and deathly wails filling the air. That and Link’s own shouts of anger.

His mind began to blur as more and more bokoblins were decimated by him, using every single tool he had in his arsenal to ruin them. Boomerang to stun them in place, bombs to take out the larger groups, arrows to take out stragglers who had just made it to the location, sword stabs and shield bashes for the ones up close...it was all becoming a haze of death. Link suddenly found himself on the other side of the valley, with the fairy pond behind him. He wanted to look, more than anything to see what he already knew he would, but he did not dare. He turned his focus to the still large sea of creatures before him.

He didn’t look, but the sounds coming from behind him couldn’t be blocked out. Sobbing, coughing, blocked up lungs and gills struggling to take in air and the sound of blood faintly dripping on the ground; pooling. Link felt another stab of anger, as if a massive Lynel sword had been plunged all the way through him. He snarled, releasing a bomb from his belt and waited for it to roll infront of the mass of blue and orange bodies and stabbed at it with his magic rod. The reaction was instantaneous. A cloud of orange mixed with wisps of blue exploded out as bodies went flying.

The sounds of pain and anguish behind him filled his ears once again as the ringing from the explosion subsided. Link felt a guttural growl escaping from his throat as he began to unleash one by one every bomb he had left, and detonating them with the rod. ‘YOU DARE HURT MY FRIEND!!!’ he bellowed out in his mind, though all that actually came out was an enraged, almost hysteric shout. Explosion after explosion, more and more bodies flying through the airs, screams of death and puffs of purple smoke filled the valley.

Once Link threw his final bomb, he let out another guttural shout as the magical waves sent the fire careening down the valley. Link stood, waiting, just daring anything else to appear, but as the smoke and fire cleared, all that remained was burnt ground and rock. The entire clearing was now black as it was littered with marks of explosions and magical fire. The boy stood still, just breathing heavily, not daring to move as a potential threat could just be around the corner.

“L-Link…”

He snapped his back straight, fear and worry overcoming his body. Link clenched his hands tightly around the sword and rod he was holding, his eyes burning with the beginning of tears. He knew what he would see. He knew but didn't want to. He didn’t want to turn around, just wanted to close his eyes and not have any of this be real...but as he forced himself to slowly spin he came face to face with exactly what he was dreading. A living nightmare.

There lay Sidon. The graceful and ever so kind zora had been dragged out of the pond, lying on his chest with his head to his side. Covered with cuts, arrows and a spear sticking in his hip; lying in a pool of his own blood which stretched all the way back to his pond which was now a dark shade. His body was twisted in a defensive helpless position, but even then this was the first Link truly grasped the Zora’s massive size. As Sidon was always in the pond he only ever at most saw half of him, and that already was enough to tower over him. Now, with his entire body to bare...he was a goliath. Link would barely make it up to his knee! Even if he were to stand on his own head four times over he still wouldn’t be as tall as the shark.

Link felt his body tense up again at the sight, so many thoughts and questions running through his young mind, hands beginning to shake. “...L-Link” Sidon once again weakly spoke as he twitched in place. The hylian finally felt his limbs working again, rushing over to Sidon’s side, kneeling down and placing a hand on his bloodied head crest. He could feel the tears beginning to flow but he tried his hardest to hold them back. “Y-you saved me…” Sidon sobbed out chokingly, still being as kind as ever to crack a weak smile at Link, “I knew you would…”. Link pushed his finger to Sidon’s bloody lips, shushing him to stop talking, to save his energy. He quickly fumbled for his pack and pulled out one his red healing potions and shakily tipped it towards Sidon’s mouth. Most of it spilled down onto the floor, but he weakly drank about half. At first there was no effect but then Sidon’s body roughly jolted and another loud wail of pain filled his ears. It was like being stabbed right in the heart.

Link wasted no time and fumbled for another potion, steading his hand so Sidon could drink more of it. The constant jolting and muffled sobs of pain made it difficult but Link just focused on the thought it would make him better. It would...right? It would! With the second potion down Sidon gasped out loudly followed by a hiss of pain “E-enough please…!” he said weakly. Link moved over to his side and began to shove with his whole body as hard as he could to get Sidon to stand. The zora groaned out loudly, his whole body shaking but not moving an inch before he slumped his head into the now wet ground “I-I can’t move Link.” he sobbed, “i-its too much…”.

Link rose up in a huff, desperately looking around for some type of solution. Anything. Then his mind clicked. He dropped his pack to the ground, quickly throwing his hands into it and fumbling about before getting frustrated and just dumping all of its contents out on the floor. The shin of the triforce shards illuminated the bloody floor, giving the whole area an orange glow. Link took the zora blanket and quickly used it to clean Sidon's face, who’s eyes were now closed as he lay his head in the ground. Then he reached for the triforce shards. He took one in his own hand then quickly shuffled over to place one in Sidon’s clawed palm, closing his fingers around it for him. He did the same for his other hand then slumped down onto his knees by his side.

He pressed the shard as hard as he could between his two hands, hoping for some type of help. Link closed his eyes and pressed, his arms shaking from the force. He began to feel a warmness in his body which made his open his eyes in shock, the glow of the shards had grown much brighter. It was like standing under the sun. Sidon lightly groaned then twitched once again, all the breath being taken out of his lungs and another wail of pain, then...steady breathing. He breathed in a few times then weakly lifted his upper half with the help of his arms, and Link who pressed on his side.

Sidon breathed in deep, coughing at his still blood covered gills as they struggled to take in air, before staring at Link in shock. The zora took this newly gained strength as the perfect time to tightly grip onto the spear into his side, closed his eyes with a slow exhale and ripped it out. He shouted out in pain and slammed his fist into the ground, then regained his composure after a few more quick pants. “T-thats...better” he said with a weak laugh but Link did not respond, just stayed kneeling. Sidon grunted and placed his hand into Link’s clutched ones, pressing the one triforce shard into the other as the almost healing warmth grew larger. 

After a short pause Sidon tried to fully lift himself but once his legs took on an ounce of weight he roughly slammed back onto the ground full force with another yelp of pain “Ah...figured as much” he grumbled to himself then looked over at a mortified Link. “C-could you help me to...to my pond?” Sidon asked him weakly, Link nodding quickly in response. He stood and moved next to Sidon’s shoulder, pulling the zora’s arm over his own shoulders to rest his weight on. Sidon didn’t actually rest much on Link, but he appreciated the gesture as he slowly crawled towards the pond with his arm. His scarred and bloodied body dragging along the smeared ground.

The crawl there felt agonizingly long as Sidon sobbed and wheezed for air weakly, until he finally reached its edge and fell into the pond with a large splash, water flying over Link and soaking him. Link waited at the edge for Sidon to re-emerge, as the blood that pooled into the pond had made it so cloudy he couldn’t even get a glimpse of Sidon in there. He sat and waited for minutes until exhaustion overcame him and he collapsed at the side.

 

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It was almost a full day later when Sidon finally re-emerged from the water. Link had woken up occasionally in a panic at finding more bokoblins or a dead Sidon floating on the pond’s surface, but found nothing. He would just stare at its surface wonder what was happening and if he would ever come back.

He didn’t want to think what would happen if Sidon were in fact dead, but due to the time alone waiting that was all his mind could do. Rumbling back to thoughts that he had fought his hardest for him, to save him, and then that still wasn’t enough. Had used the best healing potions he could find and the power of the triforce itself and that it still wasn’t enough… If that were to have happened Link would never forgive himself for the rest of his life. The only friend he had made in all of Hyrule and he died because he wasn’t strong enough or fast enough.

That it was all his fault.

Link had wondered what caused the attack but in waiting he discovered a triforce shard tucked away in a corner by Sidon, which he put two and two together and remembered when he dumped out all the shards on the floor earlier something seemed off. One must have fallen out and the bokoblins nearby sensed its energy and then attacked Sidon who tried to defend it. Sidon got attacked, put in that horrible...disgusting state because of him. His foolishness. His only friend in this whole world could be dead all because of him…

Finally there was a faint splash as Link was awoken from his slumber to see the head and shoulders of Sidon illuminated by the moon in the sky. Sidon turned to the hylian, now giving him a better glimpse at his face. All of the blood had been washed off but that just made the new scars he had received ever more pronounced on his red and white face. The zora was clearly thinking of all manner of things to say to him as he drew closed to the side of the pond. Just as he had begun to open his mouth “L...Link I” he was interupted by Link charging at him and slaming into him with a hug.

Due to his size Link was basically just hugging Sidon’s head, which made his slight grunt of pain at the force of the hug be muffled by his dirt blue tunic, but Sidon did not stop him. Link felt tears coming along again but this time made no effort to hold them back, letting out loud sobs as he clutched onto Sidon’s head. The zora in turn just weakly rubbed his hand along Link’s back, helping him get it all out “Shh its okay Link, I’m okay. We’re safe now…” he said weakly but softly.

Link shook his head and stepped back as he rapidly pointed at himself and then hugged him again, Sidon taking the time to decipher the meaning then let out a sigh of sadness. “It’s not your fault Link” he whispered “We had no idea something like that could happen…” but Link clearly was not listening. He just continued to shake his head and hug the zora close to him tightly. Sidon could feel his own tears coming on but he held them back as strong as he could, he did not want to let Link see that right now. He needed to look as strong as he could to not worry Link any more than he already was, or maybe Link knew that Sidon was lying...that he really wasn't okay.

He hadn’t been crippled or paralysed, but as he swam around in the pond’s depths and now resting here at its edge with his hylian friend...he felt weaker. Much much weaker...and pain. The side where the spear had been stabbed in was still hurting just as much and just twisting his body hurt...but Link could never know. Sidon had been attacked before, many many times, but had not been for at least a year now...and certainly not in as big of numbers as this fight was. Usually just one bokoblin or, at its worst, a Zola that bit him roughly while looking for fish...but never a mass targeted attack like this was.

Link would never forgive himself for being so foolish. The friend that has helped him so much on his journey, given him food and advice and company...nearly died and may be irreparably damaged because of him. Never again will he let his only friend be hurt like that.


End file.
